softly-softly
Britishadjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For now, the government “whips” whose job it is to ensure parliament backs whatever Brexit deal May agrees with Brussels are taking a softly-softly approach.
From Reuters
In front of the cameras, EU ministers and officials have taken a softly-softly approach, but behind the scenes there is anger about Rome’s spending plans.
From The Guardian
The São Paulo police are not known for their softly-softly approach when it comes to mass evictions.
From The Guardian
Instead, it was a “softly-softly” attempt to rebalance the scales.
From The Guardian
And as the geopolitical map changes, the WEF's softly-softly approach - in which very little is mandated and everything is up for polite discussion - may well become its greatest strength.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
