Softy starts to whine, ignoring manly pursuits (4)
I believe the answer is:
wimp
'softy' is the definition.
(both can mean a feeble person)
'starts to whine ignoring manly pursuits' is the wordplay.
'starts to' indicates taking the first letters.
The initial letters of 'whine ignoring manly pursuits' is 'WIMP'.
(Other definitions for wimp that I've seen before include "one of the Tory wets?" , "Spineless type" , "A weak ineffectual man" , "Ineffective type" , "Feeble or ineffectual person" .)