gentle (ˈdʒɛntəll
)
Definitions
adjective
- having a mild or kindly nature or character
- soft or temperate; mild; moderate ⇒
a gentle scolding
- gradual ⇒
a gentle slope
- easily controlled; tame ⇒
a gentle horse
- archaic of good breeding; noble ⇒
gentle 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
Alternative Forms
ˈgently adverbWord Origin
C13: from Old French gentil noble, from Latin gentīlis belonging to the same family; see gensSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
kind,
loving,
kindly,
peaceful,
soft,
quiet,
pacific,
tender,
mild,
benign,
humane,
compassionate,
amiable,
meek,
lenient,
placid,
merciful,
kind-hearted,
sweet-tempered,
tender-hearted,
dove-like
Translations
- British English:
gentle
A gentle person is kind, mild, and calm....a quiet and gentle man.ˈdʒɛntl ADJECTIVE ...a quiet and gentle man.
- Spanish:
suave
adj
- French:
gentil
adj
- German:
sanft
adj
- Chinese: 文雅的 adj
- Arabic: نَبِيل adj
- Portuguese: gentil adj
- Russian: добрый adj добрая
- Croatian: nježan adj nježna
- Czech: mírný adj
- Danish: blid adj
- Dutch: zachtaardig adj
- Finnish: hellä adj
- Greek: καλόκαρδος adj καλόκαρδη
- Italian: delicato adj delicata
- Japanese: 優しい adj
- Korean: 온화한 adj
- Norwegian: mild adj
- Polish: łagodny adj łagodna
- Brazilian Portuguese: gentil adj
- European Spanish:
suave
adj
- Swedish: varsam adj varsamt
- Thai: อย่างอ่อนโยน adj
- Turkish: kibar adj
- Vietnamese: dịu dàng adj
Usage examples
Ignorance of the spell was the only thing protecting the gentle Harshini from her violent human side.
, TREASON KEEP (2001)Planetary waves are gentle pressure oscillations in the atmosphere, set up by the rotation of the Earth.
New Scientist (2004)Canada once again will have to cope with a flood of gentle , literate draft dodgers.
Globe and Mail (2003)After the gentle intimacy of yesterday's love poem, here is MacDiarmid in equally characteristic fierce mood.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Choose music that is gentle , hypnotic, rhythmical, perhaps with watery sounds.
, MOVING INTO ECSTASY: An Urban Mystic's Guide to Movement, Music and Meditation (2001)