soft sell

See synonyms for: soft sellsoft-sellingsoft-sellssoft-sold on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a method of advertising or selling that is quietly persuasive, subtle, and indirect (opposed to hard sell).

Origin of soft sell

1
First recorded in 1950–55

Words Nearby soft sell

Other definitions for soft-sell (2 of 2)

soft-sell
[ sawft-sel, soft- ]

verb (used with object),soft-sold, soft-sell·ing.
  1. to promote (a product, service, etc.) using indirect or gentle persuasion: an advertising campaign to soft-sell a new perfume.

adjective
  1. (of a sales technique) quietly or indirectly persuasive: a soft-sell approach to marketing.

Origin of soft-sell

2
First recorded in 1950–55

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use soft sell in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for soft sell

soft sell

noun
  1. a method of selling based on indirect suggestion or inducement: Compare hard sell

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with soft sell

soft sell

see hard sell, def. 1.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.