gentle
Americanadjective
-
kindly; amiable.
a gentle manner.
-
not severe, rough, or violent; mild.
a gentle wind;
a gentle tap on the shoulder.
-
moderate.
gentle heat.
- Synonyms:
- temperate
-
gradual.
a gentle slope.
-
of good birth or family; wellborn.
- Synonyms:
- noble
-
characteristic of good birth; honorable; respectable.
a gentle upbringing.
-
easily handled or managed; tractable.
a gentle animal.
- Synonyms:
- tame, docile, manageable
-
soft or low.
a gentle sound.
-
polite; refined.
Consider, gentle reader, my terrible predicament at this juncture.
-
entitled to a coat of arms; armigerous.
-
Archaic. noble; chivalrous.
a gentle knight.
verb (used with object)
-
gentles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gentled,
past participle, past
-
gentling
present participle
-
to tame; render tractable.
-
to mollify; calm; pacify.
-
to make gentle.
-
to stroke; soothe by petting.
-
to ennoble; dignify.
adjective
-
having a mild or kindly nature or character
-
soft or temperate; mild; moderate
a gentle scolding
-
gradual
a gentle slope
-
easily controlled; tame
a gentle horse
-
archaic of good breeding; noble
gentle blood
-
archaic gallant; chivalrous
verb
-
to tame or subdue (a horse)
-
to appease or mollify
-
obsolete to ennoble or dignify
noun
-
a maggot, esp when used as bait in fishing
-
archaic a person who is of good breeding
Synonym Usage
Gentle, meek, mild refer to an absence of bad temper or belligerence. Gentle has reference especially to disposition and behavior, and often suggests a deliberate or voluntary kindness or forbearance in dealing with others: a gentle pat; gentle with children. Meek implies a submissive spirit, and may even indicate undue submission in the face of insult or injustice: meek and even servile or weak. Mild suggests absence of harshness or severity, rather because of natural character or temperament than conscious choice: a mild rebuke; a mild manner.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
gentlesimple
-
gentlessimple
-
have gentledperfect
-
has gentledperfect
-
am gentlingprogressive
-
are gentlingprogressive
-
is gentlingprogressive
-
have been gentlingperfect progressive
-
has been gentlingperfect progressive
Past
-
gentledsimple
-
had gentledperfect
-
was gentlingprogressive
-
were gentlingprogressive
-
had been gentlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gentle
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English gentle, gentil(e), from Old French gentil “highborn, noble,” from Latin gentīlis “belonging to the same family,” equivalent to gent- (stem of gēns ) gens + -īlis -le
Explanation
Use the adjective gentle to describe something that is soothing or kind, like a person with a tender nature or the soft sound of light rain. The word gentle traces back to the Latin word gentlis, meaning “of the same clan,” and at first the world was used to describe people belonging to distinguished families, who were seen as courteous and noble. Nowadays you’re more likely to hear the word used to refer to things that are calm, moderate, and without harshness. The word is often applied to people, but it can be used more broadly to describe anything that is mild, such as "a gentle detergent" or "a gentle reminder."
Vocabulary lists containing gentle
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I think my work has benefited greatly from that gentle parenting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
They’re basically soft-spoken toxic boys who have convinced themselves that being gentle in delivery automatically makes them healthy communicators.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat as needed to maintain it.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Tai chi, a gentle form of exercise based on gentle movements and breathing techniques, is another option.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
The giant log where Clare had recently planted the feather whites had been kicked down the gentle incline, killing every precious blue-blue in its wake.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
"I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people's bodies, no matter what."
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
It then rises more slowly, giving volcanic gases additional time to escape and making a gentler, effusive eruption more likely.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
Colbert’s version is gentler but also the most successful.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
That we will glimpse a gentler, healthier Creasy?
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
Jinny called after her in a gentler voice.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
His “Peaky Blinders” co-star Cillian Murphy remembered Neill as “one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors,” while Nicole Kidman celebrated Neill as “one of the greats.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
"He was the gentlest soul who was the first to be there for all of his friends and family."
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
Folky fingerpicking and new-agey thoughts about self-help make “Deeper Well” one of the gentlest but firmest rebuffs imaginable.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
His brand, created with veterinary dermatologists, aims to use the gentlest chemicals it can, and avoids artificial fragrances.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2023
I took care to use the gentlest setting.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
Coconut milk gentles the green-chile heat in the thick, creamy sauce.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 10, 2017
Mallory Ortberg: That’s all for this week, gentles.
From Slate ● Nov. 29, 2016
Saturday's conditions at Whistling Straits led to outstanding scores, as gentles breezes off Lake Michigan, combined with greens that Phil Mickelson described as "pristine, beautiful, large and receptive," produced a festival of birdies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2015
Beside a shallow pool at the ring's center, a young woman gentles a skittery gray horse, their reflections glimmering on the water's turquoise surface.
From Time Magazine Archive
Room, room, ye gentles gay, For him who conquered in the right, Marmion of Fontenaye.''
From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 4, No. 5, November, 1863 by Various
It seems somehow like he’s gentled us into it with benevolent trickery — as if he’d said, “Look! Over there,” and while we were distracted ripped a Band-Aid off our skin.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2022
On the phone from Britain, Wainwright speaks in quick, declarative sentences, gentled a bit by her Yorkshire accent with its long A’s, round O’s and forgiving consonants, but still quite direct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2019
The subjects of her essays have gentled somewhat, without any loss of acuity or elegance: the joys of being a grandmother, discovering the ukulele, the burly screen presence of Russell Crowe.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 30, 2017
After nearly 20 years as a gallery destination, and despite a spate of sleek new apartment buildings, it is still nothing but art, and it still feels surprisingly raw — gentrified but not especially gentled.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2011
Outside, the stones of Blackcliff are gentled by the dawn, and the cool air warms quickly, promising a scorching day.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
The material doesn’t want sophisticated adults mucking about in it or, worse, gentling its hard edges for commercial consumption.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
Like a grade-school teacher, the matrix provides a physical framework that supports and organizes the cells, gentling and channeling them to harmoniously create a functional tissue.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2024
These handling and gentling exercises will essentially be like playing doctor with your puppy.
From Fox News ● Mar. 23, 2022
This gentling spares many vulnerable kids years of suffering.
From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2013
Her bare hands worked them into the ground, prodding and gentling, as if putting to bed an endless supply of small children.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
