gentil

See also: Gentil

French

Etymology

From Latin gentīlis, from gēns (“Roman clan”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒɑ̃ti/

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

gentil (feminine singular gentille, masculine plural gentils, feminine plural gentilles)

1. kind, nice
2. good (about children, in the sense of good boy/girl)

Usage notes

• The first, literal sense is today in modern French either child language, or else rather derogative: the kind of "qualifier" one uses about people considered as lacking personality. It however used to be in classical French a genuine compliment about social qualities, which gave gentilhomme (“gentleman”).

Synonyms

• aimable

Noun

gentil m (plural gentils)

1. pagan, heretic
2. gentile

Related terms

• genre
• gens
• gentilhomme
• gentillesse
• gentiment

Further reading

• “gentil” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Italian

Adjective

gentil m

1. Apocopic form of gentile

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Old French

Etymology

From Latin gentīlis, from gēns (“Roman clan”).

Adjective

gentil m (oblique and nominative feminine singular gentil or gentile)

1. noble; courteous; courtly

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Portuguese gentil, from Latin gentīlis (“belonging to the same family”), from gēns (“clan; tribe”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁-.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʒẽ.ˈt͡ʃiw/
• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʒẽ.ˈtɨɫ/
  • Homophone: gentio
• Homophone: Gentil
• Hyphenation: gen‧til

Adjective

gentil m, f (plural gentis, comparable)

1. gentle; amiable; kind
2. elegant
3. gentle; polite; respectful

Synonyms

• (amiable): agradável, amigável, amistoso, cortês
• (elegant): belo, elegante, formoso, garboso
• (polite): See Wikisaurus:cortês

Antonyms

• (amiable): desagradável, descortês
• (elegant): desagradável, deselegante, feio
• (polite): See Wikisaurus:cortês

Related terms

• gentileza
• gentílico

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin gentīlis, from gēns (“Roman clan”).

Adjective

gentil (plural gentiles)

1. kind, nice

Related terms

• gentileza

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• /ɧaŋˈtiːl/

Adjective

gentil

1. (somewhat archaic) elegant and generous; posh, stylish; generous

   Det var en utomordentligt gentil middagsbjudning.

   "That was a most elegant dinner party."

Inflection

Inflection of gentil
Indefinite/attributive	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	gentil	gentilare	gentilast
Neuter singular	gentilt	gentilare	gentilast
Plural	gentila	gentilare	gentilast
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	gentile	gentilare	gentilaste
All	gentila	gentilare	gentilaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in an attributive role.