Definitions for gentle
ˈdʒɛn tlgen·tle

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 7 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.

   Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

2. gentle(Noun)

   A maggot used as bait by anglers

   Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

3. gentle(Verb)

   to become gentle

   Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

4. gentle(Verb)

   to ennoble

   Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

5. gentle(Verb)

   to break; to tame; to domesticate

   Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

6. gentle(Verb)

   To soothe; to calm.

   Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

7. gentle(Adjective)

   Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition

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

   Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

8. gentle(Adjective)

   Soft and mild rather than hard or severe

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

   Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

9. gentle(Adjective)

   Docile and easily managed

   We had a gentle swim in the lake.

   Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

10. gentle(Adjective)

    Gradual rather than steep or sudden

    The walks in this area have a gentle incline.

    Etymology: From gentil, from gentil, from gentilis, from gens

11. gentle(Adjective)

    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

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.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. gentle

   A maggot or grub used as a bait by anglers.

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

How to pronounce gentle?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say gentle in sign language?

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. Bryant McGill:

   We must be kind and gentle gardeners with people and nature.

2. Ovid:

   By faithful study of the nobler arts, our nature's softened, and more gentle grows.

3. Hastings:

   A gentle word is never lost...It cheers the heart when sorrow-tossed, And lulls the cares that bruise it.

4. Homer:

   But curb thou the high spirit in thy breast, for gentle ways are best, and keep aloof from sharp contentions.

5. Wilfred A. Peterson:

   The art of being yourself at your best is the art of unfolding your personality into the person you want to be. . . . Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others.

Images & Illustrations of gentle

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