soft-soaper

[ sawft-soh-per, soft- ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a person who flatters or cajoles, especially for reasons of self-interest or personal advantage:

   a soft-soaper specializing in rich, elderly women.

Word History and Origins

Origin of soft-soaper¹

First recorded in 1850–55; soft-soap + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Up rose boyish, jut-jawed James S. Adams, OPM's automotive production head, at home executive vice president of Colgate-Palmolive-Peet, but no soft-soaper.

From Time Magazine Archive