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gentle

[jen-tl]
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adjective, gen·tler, gen·tlest.
  1. kindly; amiable: a gentle manner.
  2. not severe, rough, or violent; mild: a gentle wind; a gentle tap on the shoulder.
  3. moderate: gentle heat.
  4. gradual: a gentle slope.
  5. of good birth or family; wellborn.
  6. characteristic of good birth; honorable; respectable: a gentle upbringing.
  7. easily handled or managed; tractable: a gentle animal.
  8. soft or low: a gentle sound.
  9. polite; refined: Consider, gentle reader, my terrible predicament at this juncture.
  10. entitled to a coat of arms; armigerous.
  11. Archaic. noble; chivalrous: a gentle knight.
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verb (used with object), gen·tled, gen·tling.
  1. to tame; render tractable.
  2. to mollify; calm; pacify.
  3. to make gentle.
  4. to stroke; soothe by petting.
  5. to ennoble; dignify.
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Origin of gentle

1175–1225; Middle English gentle, gentil(e) < Old French gentil highborn, noble < Latin gentīlis belonging to the same family, equivalent to gent- (stem of gēns) gens + -īlis -le
Related formsgen·tle·ness, noungen·tly, adverbo·ver·gen·tle, adjectiveo·ver·gen·tly, adverbun·gen·tle, adjectiveun·gen·tle·ness, nounun·gen·t·ly, adverb

Synonyms for gentle

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1. 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 for gentle

1. harsh, cruel. 2. violent, sudden. 7. wild, unruly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for gentle

genial, amiable, considerate, mellow, compassionate, quiet, tame, pleasant, benign, placid, tender, affable, moderate, soft, humane, cool, serene, subdued, slight, smooth

Examples from the Web for gentle

Contemporary Examples of gentle

Historical Examples of gentle

  • On a rock, amid the roaring water, Lies Cassiopea's gentle daughter.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • A gentle strain of music, scarcely audible, seemed to make reply.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • Uncle Jasper, who had a quiet voice and gentle manners, now stood rigid.

  • She was like the falling of this starlight, pure, aloof, and strange and gentle.

  • Attempted fratricide is not a common happening in gentle families.

    Viviette

    William J. Locke

British Dictionary definitions for gentle

gentle

adjective
  1. having a mild or kindly nature or character
  2. soft or temperate; mild; moderatea gentle scolding
  3. graduala gentle slope
  4. easily controlled; tamea gentle horse
  5. archaic of good breeding; noblegentle blood
  6. archaic gallant; chivalrous
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verb (tr)
  1. to tame or subdue (a horse)
  2. to appease or mollify
  3. obsolete to ennoble or dignify
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noun
  1. a maggot, esp when used as bait in fishing
  2. archaic a person who is of good breeding
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Derived Formsgently, adverb

Word Origin for gentle

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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