What does gentle mean?
Definitions for gentle
ˈdʒɛn tlgen·tle
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word gentle.
Princeton's WordNet
gentle, softadjective
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
"a gentle reprimand"; "a vein of gentle irony"; "poked gentle fun at him"
gentleadjective
having or showing a kindly or tender nature
"the gentle touch of her hand"; "her gentle manner was comforting"; "a gentle sensitive nature"; "gentle blue eyes"
gentleadjective
quiet and soothing
"a gentle voice"; "a gentle nocturne"
aristocratic, aristocratical, blue, blue-blooded, gentle, patricianadjective
belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy
"an aristocratic family"; "aristocratic Bostonians"; "aristocratic government"; "a blue family"; "blue blood"; "the blue-blooded aristocracy"; "of gentle blood"; "patrician landholders of the American South"; "aristocratic bearing"; "aristocratic features"; "patrician tastes"
docile, gentleadjective
easily handled or managed
"a gentle old horse, docile and obedient"
easy, gentle, softadjective
having little impact
"an easy pat on the shoulder"; "gentle rain"; "a gentle breeze"; "a soft (or light) tapping at the window"
easy, gentleverb
marked by moderate steepness
"an easy climb"; "a gentle slope"
pacify, lenify, conciliate, assuage, appease, mollify, placate, gentle, gruntleverb
cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
"She managed to mollify the angry customer"
ennoble, gentle, entitleverb
give a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility
gentleverb
stroke soothingly
Wiktionary
gentlenoun
A person of high birth.
gentlenoun
A maggot used as bait by anglers
gentleverb
to become gentle
gentleverb
to ennoble
gentleverb
to break; to tame; to domesticate
gentleverb
To soothe; to calm.
gentleadjective
Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition
Stuart is a gentle man, he would never hurt you.
gentleadjective
Soft and mild rather than hard or severe
I felt something touch my shoulder, it was gentle and a little slimy.
gentleadjective
Docile and easily managed
We had a gentle swim in the lake.
gentleadjective
Gradual rather than steep or sudden
The walks in this area have a gentle incline.
gentleadjective
Polite and respectful rather than rude
He gave me a gentle reminder that we had to hurry up.
Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
GENTLEadjective
Etymology: gentilis, Latin.
They entering and killing all of the gentle and rich faction, for honesty sake broke open all prisons. Philip Sidney.
These are the studies wherein our noble and gentle youth ought to bestow their time. John Milton, on Education.
Of gentle blood, part shed in honour’s cause,
Each parent sprung. Alexander Pope.I am one of those gentle ones that will use the devil himself with curtesy. William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night.
Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle and low; an excellent thing in woman. William Shakespeare.As gentle, and as jocund, as to jest,
Go I to fight. William Shakespeare, Richard II.A virtuous and a good man, reverend in conversation, and gentle in condition. 2 Mac. xv. 12.
The gentlest heart on earth is prov’d unkind. Edward Fairfax.
Your change was wise; for, had she been deny’d,
A swift revenge had follow’d from her pride:
You from my gentle nature had no fears;
All my revenge is only in my tears. John Dryden, Ind. Emp.He had such a gentle method of reproving their faults, that they were not so much afraid as ashamed to repeat them. Francis Atterbury.
And though this sense first gentle musick found,
Her proper object is the speech of men. Davies.Gentlenoun
Gentles, do not reprehend;
If you pardon, we will mend. William Shakespeare.Where is my lovely bride?
How does my father? Gentles, methinks you frown. William Shakespeare.He will in the three hot months bite at a flagworm, or at a green gentle. Izaak Walton, Angler.
To Gentleverb
To make gentle; to raise from the vulgar. Obsolete.
He to-day that sheds his blood with me,
Shall be my brother; be he never so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition. William Shakespeare, Henry V.
ChatGPT
gentle
Gentle is an adjective that describes a person or action characterized by kindness, tenderness, or mildness. It refers to a soft or delicate approach or manner, displaying a considerate and understanding nature towards others or situations.
Webster Dictionary
Gentle
well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though not noble
Gentle
quiet and refined in manners; not rough, harsh, or stern; mild; meek; bland; amiable; tender; as, a gentle nature, temper, or disposition; a gentle manner; a gentle address; a gentle voice
Gentle
a compellative of respect, consideration, or conciliation; as, gentle reader
Gentle
not wild, turbulent, or refractory; quiet and docile; tame; peaceable; as, a gentle horse
Gentle
soft; not violent or rough; not strong, loud, or disturbing; easy; soothing; pacific; as, a gentle touch; a gentle gallop
Gentlenoun
one well born; a gentleman
Gentlenoun
a trained falcon. See Falcon-gentil
Gentlenoun
a dipterous larva used as fish bait
Gentleverb
to make genteel; to raise from the vulgar; to ennoble
Gentleverb
to make smooth, cozy, or agreeable
Gentleverb
to make kind and docile, as a horse
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Gentle
jen′tl, adj. well-born: mild and refined in manners: mild in disposition: amiable: soothing: moderate: gradual.—v.t. (Shak.) to make gentle.—n. (obs.) a person of good family: (Shak.) a trained falcon: the larva of the flesh-fly, used as a bait in angling.—n. Gentilesse′, the quality of being gentle, courtesy.—v.t. Gen′tilise, to raise to the class of gentleman.—n. Gentil′ity, good birth or extraction: good breeding: politeness of manners: genteel people: marks of gentility.—n.pl. Gen′tlefolk, people of good family.—adj. Gen′tle-heart′ed, having a gentle or kind disposition.—n. Gen′tlehood, position or character attaching to gentle birth.—n. Gen′tleness.—adv. Gent′ly.—n. Gen′trice, gentle birth, courtesy.—Gentle reader, courteous reader, an old-fashioned phrase common in the prefaces of books.—The gentle craft, a phrase used to specify shoe-making, also angling; The gentle (or gentler) sex, women in general as opposed to the stern or sterner sex. [Fr.,—L. gentilis. See Genteel.]
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
gentle
A maggot or grub used as a bait by anglers.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
GENTLE
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gentle is ranked #11627 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Gentle surname appeared 2,696 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Gentle.
68.3% or 1,842 total occurrences were White.
23.9% or 646 total occurrences were Black.
4.2% or 114 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
1.6% or 45 total occurrences were of two or more races.
0.9% or 25 total occurrences were Asian.
0.8% or 24 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'gentle' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3334
Adjectives Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'gentle' in Adjectives Frequency: #462
Anagrams for gentle »
telegn
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of gentle in Chaldean Numerology is: 7
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of gentle in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Examples of gentle in a Sentence
We first used in-ear headphones and we played a very nasty sound whenever they urinated outside, we thought this would punish the animals, but they didn't care. Ultimately, a splash of water worked well as a gentle deterrent.
I’d forgotten how whimsical and crazy his host bits were — very physical and very visual, in one show he walks on stage in front of the audience and says ‘Did I tell you it’s my birthday?’ And the audience all raises their hands with wrapped gifts for him. It’s that kind of gentle crazy humor that I want younger generations to see from him.
The good news is that was probably the most — I ’m choosing my words really carefully — it was kind of the most gentle separation, in that there was no animosity, in a weird way, just sort of navigating the inevitable perception of it is the exhausting part.
I just can’t believe what they did to this very gentle man who wanted nothing more than to go out for a walk.
Nothing is so strong as gentleness and nothing is so gentle as real strength.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for gentle
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- لطيفArabic
- jemnýCzech
- blidDanish
- gemächlich, einfühlsam, sanftmütig, freundlich, sachte, liebenswürdigGerman
- ευγενήςGreek
- mildaEsperanto
- amable, gradual, tierno, suave, medido, tranquiloSpanish
- leuto, hellävarainen, herttainen, vähittäinenFinnish
- douxFrench
- mínIrish
- kedvesHungarian
- lemah lembutIndonesian
- gentileItalian
- עָדִיןHebrew
- 穏やかJapanese
- gentleLatin
- māhū, kāwatawataMāori
- zachtDutch
- skånsomNorwegian
- łagodny, delikatnyPolish
- □ GentilPortuguese
- blândRomanian
- mildSwedish
- şefkatli, hoşgörülü, yumuşak başlı, anlayışlı, yavaş yavaş, nazik, tedricîTurkish
- dịu dàngVietnamese
- מילדYiddish
- 溫和Chinese
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"gentle." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/gentle>.
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