malakos describes soft garments in two questions and a plural group called "soft ones" in a warning list.

Its dominant attested use describes garments as soft in the parallel questions of Matthew 11:8 and Luke 7:25; a separate nominative masculine plural use occurs among groups named in 1 Corinthians 6:9, where the APB says "soft ones."

1. Soft clothing or garments · dominant

   In Matthew 11:8, the forms occur in the questions about a man "clothed in soft garments" and those who "wear soft garments." In Luke 7:25, the dative plural neuter form occurs in the corresponding question about someone "clothed in soft clothing," with the APB also describing honored clothing and self-indulgence in palaces.

   Matthew 11:8Luke 7:25
2. A plural group in a warning list · rare

   In 1 Corinthians 6:9, the nominative plural masculine form stands within a list of groups following the warning not to be led astray; the APB renders that list item "soft ones." The clause identifies the group only by this label, so its more specific contribution is not clear from the supplied verse alone.

   1 Corinthians 6:9

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB renders the clothing-context clauses as "soft clothing" and "soft garments," while in 1 Corinthians 6:9 it gives "soft ones." These renderings confirm the verse contexts rather than establish finer distinctions by themselves.