soft target
Vulnerable, unprotected place
A soft target is a person, place, or thing vulnerable to attack because it lacks protection.
Schools, shopping centers, and public gatherings are soft targets compared to military bases or government buildings with armed security.
The term appears frequently in discussions of terrorism and mass violence: Terrorists prefer soft targets where security is minimal.
By extension, any easy victim: Elderly people are soft targets for scammers.
- easy markReadily deceived person
- low hanging fruitSimplest objectives to achieve
- unguardedWithout protection or caution
- path of least resistanceCourse requiring least effort
- vulnerableOpen to attack
accessible · unprotected · undefended · exposed · open season · public spaces · mass gathering · schools · hospitals · defenceless · lamb to the slaughter · insecure · religious sites · cultural landmarks · transportation hubs · marketplaces · urban centers · trusting
- Easy Thingseasy, simple, easy peasy, easy-peasy, easy as pie
- targetsbullseye, mark, aim, crosshairs, reticle
- vulnerabilityvulnerability, vulnerable, defenselessness, defenseless, helplessness
- Doublespeakcollateral damage, enhanced interrogation, friendly fire, regime change, neutralize
- suckerssucker, lollipop, Dum Dum, Tootsie Pop, all-day sucker
- guerrilla warfareguerrilla, guerrilla tactics, guerrilla fighter, partisan, partisan warfare
soft targetfortified position
Defended military location
military installation · fortress · stronghold · citadel · secure facility
soft, target, soften, softly, softness, softer, softest, softened, softening