softy

«softy» in Mova's school dictionary: easily moved or who can't be strict — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a softy, softies — also spelled softie)

meaning for a pupil

1) (informal) A kind, gentle person who is easily moved or who can't be strict. tree →

2) (informal, teasing) Someone thought too weak or scared, a wimp. tree →

sense in the lessons

In family talk «Dad's a big softy» means he is soft-hearted, maybe tough-looking but gentle and easy to persuade. Among children it can be a mild tease; teachers may remind them not to call others names. It is usually friendly.

examples

• Grandpa looks grumpy, but he's a big softy. tree →
• Don't be such a softy — the water's not that cold! tree →
• Mum's a softy and always lets us stay up a bit later. tree →
• The huge dog is a softy who's scared of cats. tree →
• Our coach is strict, but she's a softy at heart. tree →
• He pretends to be tough, but he cried at the film — what a softy! tree →

note

Countable; plural «softies». Spelled «softy» or «softie». Related: soft-hearted, «a soft touch» (easy to persuade).

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «softy» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.