gentle

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Contents

English [edit]

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Etymology [edit]

From Middle English gentil (courteous, noble), from Old French gentil (high-born, noble), from Latin gentilis (of the same family or clan), from gens ([Roman] clan)

Pronunciation [edit]

  • IPA: /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩/
  • (file)

Adjective [edit]

gentle (comparative gentler, superlative gentlest)

  1. Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition
    Stuart is a gentle man, he would never hurt you.
  2. Soft and mild rather than hard or severe
    I felt something touch my shoulder, it was gentle and a little slimy.
  3. Docile and easily managed
    We had a gentle swim in the lake.
  4. Gradual rather than steep or sudden
    The walks in this area have a gentle incline.
  5. Polite and respectful rather than rude
    He gave me a gentle reminder that we had to hurry up.

Synonyms [edit]

Antonyms [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Verb [edit]

gentle (third-person singular simple present gentles, present participle gentling, simple past and past participle gentled)

  1. (intransitive) to become gentle
  2. (transitive) to ennoble
  3. (transitive, animal husbandry) to break; to tame; to domesticate
  4. (transitive) To soothe; to calm.

Noun [edit]

gentle (plural gentles)

  1. (archaic) A person of high birth.
  2. (archaic) A maggot used as bait by anglers