gentle

adjective gen·tle \ ˈjen-tᵊl \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of gentle

gentler play \ˈjent-lər, -tᵊl-ər\; gentlest play \ˈjent-ləst, -tᵊl-əst\

1 a : belonging to a family of high social station

b archaic : chivalrous

c : honorable, distinguished; specifically : of or relating to a gentleman

d : kind, amiable —used especially in address as a complimentary epithet

gentle reader

e : suited to a person of high social station

the gentle art of sophisticated conversation

2 a : tractable, docile

a gentle horse

b : free from harshness, sternness, or violence

used gentle persuasion

3 : soft, delicate

the gentle touch of her hand

4 : moderate

His doctor recommended gentle exercise.

—

gently

play \ˈjent-lē\ adverb

See gentle defined for English-language learners

See gentle defined for kids

Examples of gentle in a Sentence

a dog that is gentle with children
Your mother has a gentle manner.
a gentle sense of humor
I heard a gentle knock at the door.
It's a delicate problem that requires gentle handling.
The job requires a gentle touch.
The cold snap was a gentle reminder that winter was coming.

Recent Examples of gentle from the Web

Those people through Fribo enhanced their socialization and its gentle nudging to call or text friends helped them address loneliness.

— don reisinger, Fortune, "Fribo Is a New Robot That Reminds Loners to Call Their Friends," 5 Apr. 2018
In the Middle Ages, a famine devastated Sicily, and prayers to St. Joseph are credited for the gentle rains that brought forth crops.

— elizabeth moore, NOLA.com, "North Shore Notables: American Society of Italian Heritage celebrates St. Joseph," 1 Apr. 2018
But peristalsis instead of these rotational forces is gentler, and would allow fuel to be manufactured in one slow, continuous process, rather than in batches.

— james vincent, The Verge, "This puking robot has a purpose: making rocket fuel safely," 30 Mar. 2018
The problem is not so much that Shell is constructing a scenario designed to be gentle on giant energy incumbents; the problem is that most 2C scenarios do that.

— david roberts, Vox, "Shell’s vision of a net-zero carbon world by 2070, explained," 30 Mar. 2018
The process is gentle enough to render a hernia mesh as new as the day the surgeon implanted it, but strong enough to bleach the color out of glass eyes and fake fingernails.

— hayley campbell, WIRED, "A New Way to Dispose of Corpses—With Chemistry!," 27 Mar. 2018
The soft breeze , the gentle lapping of the waves and the sweet song of the little bird .

— eileen reslen, Country Living, "Roma Downey and Mark Burnett Are 'Grateful' After Son Cameron Is Released From Hospital," 27 Mar. 2018
Then there's the Purifying Clay Mask ($18), which promises to do some serious smoothing, but is gentle enough to be used nearly nightly.

— marci robin, Allure, "EOS Quietly Launched a Skin-Care Collection, Called Aqua," 21 Mar. 2018
And prices are quite gentle compared to other local options – an impressive feat considering the top-notch quality of the meat.

— mark kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, "First Look: Lovers Only begins slinging burgers out of stylish Capitol Park digs Friday," 8 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gentle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gentle

Middle English gentyl "of aristocratic birth, exhibiting ideal characteristics of the wellborn, of excellent quality, gracious, courteous, kind," borrowed from Anglo-French gentil, borrowed from Medieval Latin gentīlis "of oneʼs own house, of good family or breeding, native, of a non-Jewish nation or faith, not Christian, pagan," going back to Latin "of a Roman gens, of oneʼs own family or tribe, native," from gent-, gens "race, people, gens" + -īlis, suffix of affiliation

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

gentle Synonyms

gentle

noun

Definition of gentle

: a person of gentle (see ¹gentle 1a) birth or status

Examples of gentle in a Sentence

the archbishop treated both the gentles and the commoners with respect and kindness

Recent Examples of gentle from the Web

Coconut milk gentles the green-chile heat in the thick, creamy sauce.

— providence cicero, The Seattle Times, "Spread the word about the great South Indian flavors at Kathakali in Kirkland," 10 Aug. 2017
The dog, described as gassy but gentle, spent much of its time on stage plopped on its side.

— joy johnston, ajc, "Mastiff named Martha crowned world's ugliest dog," 24 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of gentle

Middle English gentil (usually plural), borrowed from Anglo-French, derivative of gentil "of aristocratic birth, ¹gentle"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

gentle Synonyms

Synonyms

aristocrat, blue blood, gentleperson, noble, patrician;

Near Antonyms

commoner, pleb, plebeian, proletarian;

boor, fellah, peasant, peon;

Related Words

socialite, swell;

magnate, magnifico, mogul, nabob;

gentlefolk (also gentlefolks);

gentle

verb

Definition of gentle

gentled; gentling play \ˈjent-liŋ, ˈjen-tᵊl-iŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to raise from the commonalty : ennoble

2 a : to make gentler

b : to make (an animal) tame and docile

c : mollify, placate

gentled the raging king

d : to stroke soothingly : pet

intransitive verb

: to become gentle

the wind gentled

Examples of gentle in a Sentence

employees soon learned that their hot-tempered boss needed to be gentled several times a day
soothingly gentled his cat's head as she was being treated by the vet