gentle

adjective gen·tle \ ˈjen-tᵊl \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: gentle in a Sentence

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

If the show is purposefully trying to explore how Ruth keeps falling into gendered traps, there’s value to that story—especially if its gentle rendering indicates how insidious these complexes can be.

— sonia saraiya, HWD, "Marc Maron Is Great in GLOW, and Maybe That’s a Problem," 29 June 2018
Other flavors include cinnamon, vanilla, and green tea—all relatively gentle yet satisfying.

— jesse dart, Bon Appetit, "Pastiglie Leone: The Checkout Aisle Candies That Are Prettier Than the Rest," 20 June 2018
After a while, the repetitive motion and the gentle pull in her scalp calmed her down.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "The geopolitics of the afterlife get messy in the new sci-fi spy novel Summerland," 17 June 2018
The queenly allusions aren’t just a gimmick, the combs, which are made from zebu horn, a biodegradable material rich in keratin, are especially gentle on black hair.

— janelle okwodu, Vogue, "Byredo’s New Keepsake Combs Pay Tribute to Africa’s Beloved Queens," 13 July 2018
In an exam room last month in Texas, a gentle beeping broke the silence, and Ayla, who had been sitting in her mother’s lap turning pages in a story book, stopped, held her hand to her ear and smiled.

— lindsey bever, Washington Post, "A 1-year-old heard sound for the first time, and her mother broke down in tears," 2 July 2018
Saudi Arabia and Egypt — for whom pretty much everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong over the last two weeks — provided the gentlest of competition for Russia at the start of the tournament.

— rory smith, New York Times, "Finally, a Loss for Russia. But Only on the Field.," 25 June 2018
On Silicon Valley Zach Woods plays a gentle, vest-wearing startup barnacle named Jared, whose dark past emerges in improvised quips.

— lauren larson, GQ, "Zach Woods in the Woods," 31 May 2018
This salsa is good enough to eat with a spoon though, with a hint of spiciness from a serrano and a gentle smack from lime juice.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "My 100% Hypothetical Fantasy Cookout," 25 May 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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

in the meaning defined above

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