gentle

[jen-tl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gentle ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, gen·tler, gen·tlest.

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.

verb (used with object), gen·tled, gen·tling.

to tame; render tractable.

to mollify; calm; pacify.

to make gentle.

to stroke; soothe by petting.

to ennoble; dignify.

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gentle ON THESAURUS.COM

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. 2019

Related Words for gentleness

tenderness, kindness, fragility, softness, caution, carefulness, pliability, mildness, delicacy, pliancy, smoothness, obedience, meekness, tameness

Examples from the Web for gentleness

Contemporary Examples of gentleness

When he does, here is a gentleness in his voice, a reflective and lovely quality that no movie he has been in has ever captured.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
I wanted to somehow plug into it with gentleness and love, because those are things I feel comfortable with.
The Casual Genius of Jenny Slate: ‘Marcel the Shell,’ ‘Obvious Child,’ and the Ghost of ‘SNL’
Kevin Fallon
October 17, 2014
His brown eyes were penetrating yet peaceful, and he immediately disarmed my nervousness with his gentleness.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More
Gary Wright
September 29, 2014
His body has an even grace, his face a restless eagerness, and a gentleness, not to be confused with ‘niceness,’ is his manner.
The Stacks: Grateful Dead I Have Known
Ed McClanahan
August 30, 2014
I dreaded to hear what he was going to say, but he spoke with the same simplicity and gentleness.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014

Historical Examples of gentleness

"Trouble him not," murmured the melancholy man, with gentleness.
The Christmas Banquet (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Notwithstanding their gentleness, during the first year the Huberts were often discouraged.
The Dream
Emile Zola
Gentleness and mercy should blend their benign influences with justice.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I
Francis Augustus Cox
He had been early trained to gentleness, docility, and goodness.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I
Francis Augustus Cox
All the lines in his face were those of gentleness and truth.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown

British Dictionary definitions for gentleness

gentleness

noun

the quality of being gentle

physics a property of elementary particles, conserved in certain strong interactionsSee also charm 1 (def. 7)

gentle

adjective

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

verb (tr)

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

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 gentleness

c.1300, "inherited nature," from gentle + -ness. Meaning "freedom from harshness and violence" is from 1610s.

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.