gentle
[jen-tl]
- kindly; amiable: a gentle manner.
- not severe, rough, or violent; mild: a gentle wind; a gentle tap on the shoulder.
- moderate: gentle heat.
- gradual: a gentle slope.
- of good birth or family; wellborn.
- characteristic of good birth; honorable; respectable: a gentle upbringing.
- easily handled or managed; tractable: a gentle animal.
- 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.
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- to tame; render tractable.
- to mollify; calm; pacify.
- to make gentle.
- to stroke; soothe by petting.
- to ennoble; dignify.
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Origin of gentle
Synonyms
See more synonyms for gentle on Thesaurus.com1. clement, peaceful, pacific, soothing; tender, humane, lenient, merciful. 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. 3. temperate. 5. noble. 7. manageable, docile, tame, quiet. 9. courteous; polished.
Antonyms
1. harsh, cruel. 2. violent, sudden. 7. wild, unruly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for gentle
Contemporary Examples
The only justice sought by those folks involved a conviction against Wilson for killing the “gentle giant” teen.
They act silly, and for a moment we see how gentle and innocent they are.
In all, the comment seemed to be a bit of gentle ribbing with the leader of the free world.
Are Politicians Too Dumb to Understand the Lyrics to ‘Born in the USA’?Parker Molloy
November 6, 2014
In The Theory of Everything, the “master of the universe” is depicted as a gentle man and loving—albeit conflicted—husband.
The Other Side of Stephen Hawking: Strippers, Aliens, and Disturbing Abuse ClaimsMarlow Stern
November 6, 2014
The gentle, erudite soul within a body the public considered an oddity is the contrast at the heart of “The Elephant Man.”
Historical Examples
A gentle strain of music, scarcely audible, seemed to make reply.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
On a rock, amid the roaring water, Lies Cassiopea's gentle daughter.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
Uncle Jasper, who had a quiet voice and gentle manners, now stood rigid.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
She was like the falling of this starlight, pure, aloof, and strange and gentle.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
Attempted fratricide is not a common happening in gentle families.
VivietteWilliam J. Locke
gentle
- having a mild or kindly nature or character
- soft or temperate; mild; moderatea gentle scolding
- graduala gentle slope
- easily controlled; tamea gentle horse
- archaic of good breeding; noblegentle blood
- archaic gallant; chivalrous
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- to tame or subdue (a horse)
- to appease or mollify
- obsolete to ennoble or dignify
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- a maggot, esp when used as bait in fishing
- archaic a person who is of good breeding
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French gentil noble, from Latin gentīlis belonging to the same family; see gens
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for gentle
adj.
early 13c., "well-born," from Old French gentil "high-born, noble, of good family" (11c., in Modern French "nice, graceful, pleasing; fine pretty"), from Latin gentilis "of the same family or clan," from gens (genitive gentis) "race, clan," from root of gignere "beget," from PIE root *gen- "produce" (see genus). Sense of "gracious, kind" (now obsolete) first recorded late 13c.; that of "mild, tender" is 1550s. Older sense remains in gentleman.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper