Meaning & use
softball question
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Meaning
nouncountableinformal
A question that is easy to answer, often asked to avoid embarrassing someone or to make them look good.
Grammar: Countable: a softball question, several softball questions.
Patterns
- ask a softball question
- a softball question about something
The journalist asked a softball question about his favorite food.
Politicians often get softball questions from friendly reporters.
The interview was full of softball questions and no real challenges.
Word forms
| plural | softball questions |
|---|
Common combinations
- ask a softball question
- The moderator asked a softball question to start the debate.
- a series of softball questions
- The press conference was just a series of softball questions.
- throw someone a softball question
- The interviewer threw him a softball question about his new book.
- softball interview
- It was a softball interview, with no difficult topics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- easy question
- More neutral and general; 'softball question' implies the questioner is being deliberately gentle.
- puffball question
- Very informal and rare; similar meaning.
Opposites
Word family
- softball noun
- A game similar to baseball, played with a larger, softer ball.
- hardball noun
- Baseball; also used for tough, aggressive questions or tactics.
Commonly confused: softball question or hardball question?
softball question vs hardball question
The opposite: a tough, challenging question.
Practice
During the interview, the reporter asked a _____ about the weather instead of the scandal.
Choose one answer.
A 'softball question' is an easy, non-threatening question. 'Hardball question' is the opposite, and 'softball' alone is the sport.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “softball question”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.