soft focus

American

noun

Photography.

an image, often created by a special lens, that is recognizable but somewhat blurred or diffused.

Other Word Forms

soft-focus adjective

Etymology

Origin of soft focus

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She says her clients often describe brain fog as feeling like they are "living life in soft focus".

From BBC • Nov. 16, 2025

A tender city romance about about gentrification and Black melancholy, “Love, Brooklyn” brings together appealing actors and the charms of New York’s ever-changing borough into soft focus.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2025

Popular ideas about preschool usually involve a soft focus on cuddly kids, not the stuff of tough public policy or hard numbers.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 11, 2023

“This play actually goes the other way and shows the three of them without a soft focus at all. I really think that we see three very flawed egomaniacs.”

From New York Times • Jul. 25, 2023

I believe that the soft focus lens can be used, and will be used, in such a way as to give beautiful results on the screen.”

From Pictorial Photography in America 1921 by Pictorial Photographers of America

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023