Definitions for gentle
ˈdʒɛn tlgen·tle

Princeton's WordNet(3.60 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. gentle, soft(adj)

   soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe

   "a gentle reprimand"; "a vein of gentle irony"; "poked gentle fun at him"

2. gentle(adj)

   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"

3. gentle(adj)

   quiet and soothing

   "a gentle voice"; "a gentle nocturne"

4. aristocratic, aristocratical, blue, blue-blooded, gentle, patrician(adj)

   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"

5. docile, gentle(adj)

   easily handled or managed

   "a gentle old horse, docile and obedient"

6. easy, gentle, soft(adj)

   having little impact

   "an easy pat on the shoulder"; "gentle rain"; "a gentle breeze"; "a soft (or light) tapping at the window"

7. easy, gentle(verb)

   marked by moderate steepness

   "an easy climb"; "a gentle slope"

8. pacify, lenify, conciliate, assuage, appease, mollify, placate, gentle, gruntle(verb)

   cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

   "She managed to mollify the angry customer"

9. ennoble, gentle, entitle(verb)

   give a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility

10. gentle(verb)

    stroke soothingly

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. gentle(Noun)

   A person of high birth.

2. gentle(Noun)

   A maggot used as bait by anglers

3. gentle(Verb)

   to become gentle

4. gentle(Verb)

   to ennoble

5. gentle(Verb)

   to break; to tame; to domesticate

6. gentle(Verb)

   To soothe; to calm.

7. gentle(Adjective)

   Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition

   Stuart is a gentle man, he would never hurt you.

8. gentle(Adjective)

   Soft and mild rather than hard or severe

   I felt something touch my shoulder, it was gentle and a little slimy.

9. gentle(Adjective)

   Docile and easily managed

   We had a gentle swim in the lake.

10. gentle(Adjective)

    Gradual rather than steep or sudden

    The walks in this area have a gentle incline.

11. gentle(Adjective)

    Polite and respectful rather than rude

    He gave me a gentle reminder that we had to hurry up.

Origin: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Gentle

   well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though not noble

2. 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

3. Gentle

   a compellative of respect, consideration, or conciliation; as, gentle reader

4. Gentle

   not wild, turbulent, or refractory; quiet and docile; tame; peaceable; as, a gentle horse

5. Gentle

   soft; not violent or rough; not strong, loud, or disturbing; easy; soothing; pacific; as, a gentle touch; a gentle gallop

6. Gentle(noun)

   one well born; a gentleman

7. Gentle(noun)

   a trained falcon. See Falcon-gentil

8. Gentle(noun)

   a dipterous larva used as fish bait

9. Gentle(verb)

   to make genteel; to raise from the vulgar; to ennoble

10. Gentle(verb)

    to make smooth, cozy, or agreeable

11. Gentle(verb)

    to make kind and docile, as a horse

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. 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.]

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'gentle' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3334

2. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'gentle' in Adjectives Frequency: #462

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of gentle in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of gentle in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of gentle in a Sentence

1. Juvenal:

   Be gentle with the young.

2. Menander:

   Culture makes all men gentle.

3. Andrea Irwin:

   He was our caretaker and so gentle.

4. Dylan Thomas:

   Do not go gentle into that good night.

5. James Dean:

   Only the gentle are ever really strong.

Images & Illustrations of gentle

Popularity rank by frequency of use