soft-core

[ sawft-kawr, -kohr, soft- ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or containing sexually arousing depictions that are not fully explicit: Compare hard-core ( def 2 ).

   soft-core pornography.

soft-core

adjective

1. (of pornography) suggestive and titillating through not being totally explicit or detailed

Word History and Origins

Origin of soft-core¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

"Virtually every developed country has a sex festival, but here in South Korea we don't even have an adult entertainment culture. I want to take the first steps towards creating one," said Lee Hee Tae, whose company Play Joker produced legal soft-core pornography before their pivot to organising events.

From BBC

So you can choose from a wide array of music documentaries and concert performances, soft-core romps and retro horror favorites, exploitation pictures and forgotten television.

From New York Times

The warning goes unheeded, and the two embark on a possibly dangerous and decidedly silly liaison, one that taps into spousal angst and features plenty of soft-core intrigue.

From New York Times

She briefly edited Players, a soft-core magazine for Black men, in the early 1970s.

From New York Times

There’s a soft-core corniness to everything he says — none of which is particularly sexy and most of which is just gross.

From New York Times

Related Words

• boorish
• coarse
• crude
• disgusting
• filthy
• impolite
• indecent
• nasty
• naughty
• obscene
• off-color
• profane
• ribald
• scatological
• suggestive
• tasteless
• tawdry