gentle

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gen·tle

(jĕn′tl)

adj. gen·tler, gen·tlest

1. Considerate or kindly in disposition; amiable and tender.

2. Not harsh or severe; mild and soft: a gentle scolding; a gentle tapping at the window.

3. Easily managed or handled; docile: a gentle horse.

4. Not steep or sudden; gradual: a gentle incline.

a. Of good family; wellborn: a child of gentle birth.

b. Suited to one of good breeding; refined and polite: a gentle greeting to a stranger.

6. Archaic Noble; chivalrous: a gentle knight.

n. Archaic

One of good birth or relatively high station.

tr.v. gen·tled, gen·tling, gen·tles

1. To make less severe or intense: The peaceful sunset gentled her dreadful mood.

2. To soothe, as by stroking; pacify.

3. To tame or break (a horse).

4. Obsolete To raise to the status of a noble.

[Middle English gentil, courteous, noble, from Old French, from Latin gentīlis, of the same clan, from gēns, gent-, clan; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]

gen′tle·ness n.

gen′tly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

gentle

(ˈdʒɛntəl)

adj

1. having a mild or kindly nature or character

2. soft or temperate; mild; moderate: a gentle scolding.

3. gradual: a gentle slope.

4. easily controlled; tame: a gentle horse.

5. archaic of good breeding; noble: gentle blood.

6. archaic gallant; chivalrous

vb (tr)

7. (Horse Training, Riding & Manège) to tame or subdue (a horse)

8. to appease or mollify

9. obsolete to ennoble or dignify

10. (Zoology) a maggot, esp when used as bait in fishing

11. archaic a person who is of good breeding

[C13: from Old French gentil noble, from Latin gentīlis belonging to the same family; see gens]

ˈgently adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

gen•tle

(ˈdʒɛn tl)

adj. -tler, -tlest, adj.

1. kindly; amiable: a gentle manner.

2. not severe, rough, or violent; mild: a gentle tap on the arm.

3. moderate: gentle heat.

4. not steep; gradual: a gentle slope.

5. of good birth or family.

6. characteristic of good birth; respectable: a gentle upbringing.

7. easily handled or managed: a gentle animal.

8. soft or low: a gentle sound.

9. refined; courteous.

10. Archaic. noble; chivalrous: a gentle knight.

v.t.

11. to tame; render tractable.

12. to mollify; calm.

13. to make gentle.

14. to stroke; soothe by petting.

15. to ennoble; dignify.

[1175–1225; < Old French gentil highborn < Latin gentīlis; see gentile]

gen′tle•ness, n.

gen′tly, adv.

gentle

Past participle: gentled
Gerund: gentling

Imperative
gentle
gentle

Present
I gentle
you gentle
he/she/it gentles
we gentle
you gentle
they gentle

Preterite
I gentled
you gentled
he/she/it gentled
we gentled
you gentled
they gentled

Present Continuous
I am gentling
you are gentling
he/she/it is gentling
we are gentling
you are gentling
they are gentling

Present Perfect
I have gentled
you have gentled
he/she/it has gentled
we have gentled
you have gentled
they have gentled

Past Continuous
I was gentling
you were gentling
he/she/it was gentling
we were gentling
you were gentling
they were gentling

Past Perfect
I had gentled
you had gentled
he/she/it had gentled
we had gentled
you had gentled
they had gentled

Future
I will gentle
you will gentle
he/she/it will gentle
we will gentle
you will gentle
they will gentle

Future Perfect
I will have gentled
you will have gentled
he/she/it will have gentled
we will have gentled
you will have gentled
they will have gentled

Future Continuous
I will be gentling
you will be gentling
he/she/it will be gentling
we will be gentling
you will be gentling
they will be gentling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been gentling
you have been gentling
he/she/it has been gentling
we have been gentling
you have been gentling
they have been gentling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been gentling
you will have been gentling
he/she/it will have been gentling
we will have been gentling
you will have been gentling
they will have been gentling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been gentling
you had been gentling
he/she/it had been gentling
we had been gentling
you had been gentling
they had been gentling

Conditional
I would gentle
you would gentle
he/she/it would gentle
we would gentle
you would gentle
they would gentle

Past Conditional
I would have gentled
you would have gentled
he/she/it would have gentled
we would have gentled
you would have gentled
they would have gentled

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Verb	1.	gentle - cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; "She managed to mollify the angry customer" appease, assuage, conciliate, gruntle, lenify, mollify, pacify, placate calm, still, tranquilize, tranquillise, tranquillize, calm down, quiet, quieten, lull - make calm or still; "quiet the dragons of worry and fear"
	2.	gentle - give a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility ennoble, entitle elevate, kick upstairs, promote, upgrade, advance, raise - give a promotion to or assign to a higher position; "John was kicked upstairs when a replacement was hired"; "Women tend not to advance in the major law firms"; "I got promoted after many years of hard work" baronetise, baronetize - confer baronetcy upon; "He was baronetized for his loyalty to the country" lord - make a lord of someone knight, dub - raise (someone) to knighthood; "The Beatles were knighted"
	3.	gentle - stroke soothingly pet - stroke or caress gently; "pet the lamb"
Adj.	1.	gentle - soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe; "a gentle reprimand"; "a vein of gentle irony"; "poked gentle fun at him" soft mild - moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme; "a mild winter storm"; "a mild fever"; "fortunately the pain was mild"; "a mild rebuke"; "mild criticism"
	2.	gentle - 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" kind - having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior; "kind to sick patients"; "a kind master"; "kind words showing understanding and sympathy"; "thanked her for her kind letter"
	3.	gentle - quiet and soothing; "a gentle voice"; "a gentle nocturne" soft - (of sound) relatively low in volume; "soft voices"; "soft music"
	4.	gentle - 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" aristocratic, aristocratical, blue-blooded, patrician, blue noble - of or belonging to or constituting the hereditary aristocracy especially as derived from feudal times; "of noble birth"
	5.	gentle - easily handled or managed; "a gentle old horse, docile and obedient" docile tamed, tame - brought from wildness into a domesticated state; "tame animals"; "fields of tame blueberries"
	6.	gentle - having little impact; "an easy pat on the shoulder"; "gentle rain"; "a gentle breeze"; "a soft (or light) tapping at the window" easy, soft light - of little intensity or power or force; "the light touch of her fingers"; "a light breeze"
	7.	gentle - marked by moderate steepness; "an easy climb"; "a gentle slope" easy gradual - (of a topographical gradient) not steep or abrupt; "a gradual slope"

gentle

adjective

1. kind, loving, kindly, peaceful, soft, quiet, pacific, tender, mild, benign, humane, compassionate, amiable, meek, lenient, placid, merciful, kind-hearted, sweet-tempered, tender-hearted a quiet and gentle man who liked sports and enjoyed life
kind hard, rough, aggressive, fierce, harsh, cruel, savage, unkind, heartless, impolite

2. slow, easy, slight, deliberate, moderate, gradual, imperceptible His movements were gentle and deliberate.

3. moderate, low, light, easy, soft, calm, slight, mild, soothing, clement, temperate, balmy The wind had dropped to a gentle breeze.
moderate strong, powerful, violent

4. gradual, easy, slight We first practised our skiing on gentle slopes.
gradual sudden, precipitous

5. moderate, mild Cook for 15 minutes over a gentle heat.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

gentle

adjective

1. Of a kindly, considerate character:

mild, soft, softhearted, tender, tenderhearted.

2. Free from severity or violence, as in movement:

balmy, delicate, faint, mild, smooth, soft.

3. Of small intensity:

light, moderate, slight, soft.

4. Easily managed or handled:

docile, meek, mild, tame.

5. Not steep or abrupt:

easy, gradual, moderate.

verb

1. To ease the anger or agitation of:

appease, assuage, calm (down), conciliate, dulcify, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate, soften, soothe, sweeten.

Idiom: pour oil on troubled water.

2. To train to live with and be of use to people:

domesticate, domesticize, master, tame.

3. To make (an animal) docile:

break, bust, master, tame.

Translations

لَطيفمُنْحَدَر سَهْلناعِم، مُعْتَدِلنَبِيل

mírnývlídnýjemný

blidroligsvag

sanft mild sacht liebenswürdig

καλόκαρδος

suave dulce gentil ligero moderado

hellä

doux gentil mou délicat

nježan

blíîur, òægilegurvægur, mildurvægur; aflíîandi

delicato dolce placido soave con attenzione

優しい

온화한

nestatusnuolaidus

laipnslēnprātīgsliegsmaigsnolaidens

blagpazljiv

varsam

อย่างอ่อนโยน

kibar nazik hafifhafif yokuş

dịu dàng

和善的和缓的徐缓的文雅的柔和的

gentle

[ˈdʒentl] ADJ (gentler (compar) (gentlest (superl)))

1. (= kind, good-natured) [person] → de carácter dulce; [manner, voice] → dulce, delicado; [eyes, smile] → dulce, tierno; [hint, reminder, rebuke] → discreto; [animal] → manso, dócil
to be gentle with sb/sth (= careful) → tener cuidado con algn/algo
be gentle with him, he's had a terrible shock → ten consideración con él, ha sufrido un golpe muy duro
to poke gentle fun at sb → burlarse sin malicia de algn, burlarse cariñosamente de algn
the policy of gentle persuasion had failed → la política de la sutil persuasión había fracasado
try a little gentle persuasion, he might say yes → intenta persuadirlo un poco, puede que diga que sí
he needs a gentle push → necesita un pequeño empuje
the gentle or gentler sex (o.f.) → el bello sexo
as gentle as a lamb → más bueno que el pan, más manso que un cordero

2. (= mild) [shampoo, soap, detergent] → suave
it is gentle on the skin → no irrita la piel

3. (= light) [touch, pressure, push, breeze] → suave, ligero
there was a gentle tap at the door → se oyeron unos golpecitos a la puerta

4. (= moderate) [exercise] → moderado
cook for 30 minutes over a gentle heat → cocinar durante 30 minutos a fuego lento
we jogged along at a gentle pace → hicimos footing a un ritmo suave
it was too hot even for a gentle stroll → hacía demasiado calor incluso para pasear lentamente

5. (= not steep) [slope] → suave, poco pronunciado; [curve] → no muy cerrado
gentle rolling hills → colinas suaves y onduladas

6. (o.f.) (= noble)
of gentle birth → de noble cuna
gentle reader → estimado or querido lector

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

gentle

[ˈdʒɛnt^əl] adj

[person, character] → doux(douce)

[breeze, movement] → léger/ère

(= not steep) [slope] → doux(douce); [hill] → petit(e)

[heat] → doux(douce)
over a gentle heat → à feu doux

[soap] → doux(douce)

[hint, reminder] to give a gentle hint about sth → faire une allusion discrète à qch

gentle

adj (+er)

person, disposition → sanft(mütig); animal → zahm; voice, eyes, manner, smile → sanft; treatment → schonend; to be gentle with somebody (physically) → sanft or behutsam mit jdm umgehen; (mentally) → sanft or einfühlsam mit jdm umgehen; to be gentle with something → vorsichtig or behutsam mit etw umgehen; as gentle as a lamb → sanft wie ein Lamm; she needs gentle treatment → sie muss behutsam behandelt werden; the gentle or gentler sex (dated) → das zarte Geschlecht

(= light, soft) touch, caress → sanft, zart; hand → sanft, behutsam; movement, pressure, breeze, wind, rain → sanft, leicht; (= low) heat → mäßig; (= not severe) hill, slope, curve, landscape → sanft; colour → sanft, zart; sound → leise; pace, stroll, exercise → gemächlich; cook over a gentle heat → bei geringer Hitze kochen; we made gentle progress → wir machten langsame, aber stetige Fortschritte

(= mild) detergent, lotion, cream → mild; this detergent is gentle on the skin → dieses Putzmittel schont die Haut

(= subtle, discreet) → mild; rebuke → sanft, mild; persuasion → freundlich, sanft; a gentle hint → eine zarte Andeutung; a gentle reminder → ein zarter Wink, ein sanfter Hinweis; to poke gentle fun at somebody, to have a gentle dig at somebody → jdn freundlich necken

(= wellborn) of gentle birth (dated form) → von edler or hoher Geburt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

gentle

[ˈdʒɛntl] adj (-r (comp) (-st (superl))) (person, slope, voice) → dolce; (touch) → delicato/a; (hint, reminder) → velato/a; (rebuke) → discreto/a; (heat, exercise) → moderato/a; (breeze, sound) → leggero/a
to be gentle with sb → trattare qn con delicatezza

gentle

(ˈdʒentl) adjective

1. (of people) behaving, talking etc in a mild, kindly, pleasant way. a gentle old lady; The doctor was very gentle.

2. not strong or rough. a gentle breeze.

3. (of hills) rising gradually. a gentle slope.

ˈgently adverb

ˈgentleness noun

gentle

→ نَبِيل mírný blid sanft καλόκαρδος gentil, suave hellä gentil nježan delicato 優しい 온화한 zachtaardig mild łagodny gentil добрый varsam อย่างอ่อนโยน kibar dịu dàng 文雅的

gentle

a. suave, sutil, tierno-a; moderado-a;

adv. suavemente, sutilmente, tiernamente; moderadamente.

gentle

adj suave, ligero

References in classic literature ?

Then she spread the table afresh, and to it came fearlessly the busy ant and bee, gay butterfly and bird; even the poor blind mole and humble worm were not forgotten; and with gentle words she gave to all, while each learned something of their kind little teacher; and the love that made her own heart bright shone alike on all.

Through the crowd there came a little form, a wreath of pure white violets lay among the bright locks that fell so softly round the gentle face, where a deep blush glowed, as, kneeling at the throne, little Violet said:--

View in context

I should hear it still rippling on with its gentle harpsichord tinkle, as I stretched myself down among the cool lavendered sheets, and little by little let slip the multifarious world.

An hour ago they had seemed dangerous companions for so lofty a mood; but now, under the gentle influences of dinner, the mood had not indeed changed--but mellowed.

View in context

Yes, there she is, paler and thinner than in her Kentucky home, with a world of quiet sorrow lying under the shadow of her long eyelashes, and marking the outline of her gentle mouth!

for twenty years or more, nothing but loving words, and gentle moralities, and motherly loving kindness, had come from that chair;--head-aches and heart-aches innumerable had been cured there,--difficulties spiritual and temporal solved there,--all by one good, loving woman, God bless her!

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Whereas, I said, they ought to be dangerous to their enemies, and gentle to their friends; if not, they will destroy themselves without waiting for their enemies to destroy them.

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In the cabin, likewise, sat the Lady Arbella in her chair, with a gentle and sweet expression on her face, but looking too pale and feeble to endure the hardships of the wilderness.

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This was too cruel, too unexpected a Blow to our Gentle Sensibility--we could not support it--we could only faint.

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Luckily she only found his wife at home, who was much struck by the Princess's youth and beauty and sweet gentle manners, and still further impressed by the present of the shining pebble.

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"Soon a gentle light stole over the heavens and gave me a sensation of pleasure.

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I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways; do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick even in play."