gentleness
Britishnoun
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the quality of being gentle
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physics a property of elementary particles, conserved in certain strong interactions See also charm 1
Explanation
Gentleness is the quality of being kind and careful. Your gentleness with a frightened stray dog will eventually convince her to let you feed and pet her. The noun gentleness is perfect for describing the way someone acts when they are soft and calm and sweet to other people. A good kindergarten teacher speaks to his students with gentleness, and your favorite dentist might be one who treats you with gentleness. The original meaning, from around 1300, was "inherited nature," but by the 1600s it had come to mean "freedom from harshness and violence," with the Latin root gentilis, "of the same family or clan."
Vocabulary lists containing gentleness
"American Names"
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ness
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The Suffix -ness, Part 2
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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.
Sweetly recreating Michael’s delicate speaking voice and his gentleness while avoiding coming across as too weird, Mr. Jackson is so charming that it’s easy to forget about Michael’s sins for two hours.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Masi said her son was a confident child, "always kind and full of patience and gentleness".
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
“He was generous with his time, extremely caring about the Haas community, courageous to tackle important problems, full of grace and gentleness, and a loving father.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 16, 2025
That gentleness is surprising in a tool as powerful as an elephant’s trunk.
From NewsForKids.net • Jun. 20, 2024
A gentleness flows into Volkheimer’s eyes and hangs there a moment.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
