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gentle

   Also found in: Medical, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
gen·tle  (jntl)
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.
5.
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 domestic animal, for instance): gentle a horse.
4. To raise to the status of a noble.

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

gentle·ness n.
gently adv.

gentle
Adjective
1. kind and calm in character
2. temperate or moderate: gentle autumn rain
3. soft; not sharp or harsh: gentle curves [Latin gentilis belonging to the same family]
gentleness n
gently adv
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.gentle - cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; "She managed to mollify the angry customer"
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
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"
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.gentlegentle - 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"
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"
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"
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"
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 << OPPOSITE unkind
Translations
Spanish gentle [ˈdʒɛntl] adj (= sweet) → dulce; [touch etc] → ligero, suave
French gentle [ˈdʒɛntl] adjdoux(douce); [breeze, touch] → léger/ère
German gentle [ˈdʒɛntl] adjsanft;
(movement, breeze) → leicht;
a gentle hint → ein zarter Hinweis

Italian gentle [ˈdʒɛntl] adjdelicato/a; [person] → dolce

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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.
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.
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
 
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