1
as in weakly
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2
as in tenderly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gently
Their study suggests that slow, orderly streams of cool gas already inside the galaxy—or delivered by interactions with nearby galaxies—may be quietly feeding central black holes, allowing those black holes to gently shut down star formation without blowing the galaxy apart.
—
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
Brake gently as needed - Brake normally if the vehicle has anti-lock brakes and pump brakes gently if in an older vehicle.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026
Dip a soft-bristle toothbrush in the solution and gently scrub the seal.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 10 Jan. 2026
The sunshine sparkles upon the ripples of the gently moving water, which is clear and colored like tea by natural plant tannins.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
For a brighter, citrus-forward boost, Aromatherapy Associates’ Revive blends grapefruit, bergamot, and neroli to gently energize even the sleepiest among us.
—Iman Balagam, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Others gently observe goal-setting and intentions, but feel less tied to specific deadlines.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2026
Each satisfying bite is gently infused with cumin, jalapeño, and tomato, with the creamy texture of white beans front and center.
—Riley Wofford, Martha Stewart, 9 Jan. 2026
Make it up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate, and gently reheat, covered, in the oven.
—Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Jan. 2026
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
Brake gently as needed - Brake normally if the vehicle has anti-lock brakes and pump brakes gently if in an older vehicle.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 10 Jan. 2026
Dip a soft-bristle toothbrush in the solution and gently scrub the seal.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 10 Jan. 2026
The sunshine sparkles upon the ripples of the gently moving water, which is clear and colored like tea by natural plant tannins.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
For a brighter, citrus-forward boost, Aromatherapy Associates’ Revive blends grapefruit, bergamot, and neroli to gently energize even the sleepiest among us.
—Iman Balagam, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Others gently observe goal-setting and intentions, but feel less tied to specific deadlines.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 9 Jan. 2026
Each satisfying bite is gently infused with cumin, jalapeño, and tomato, with the creamy texture of white beans front and center.
—Riley Wofford, Martha Stewart, 9 Jan. 2026
Make it up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate, and gently reheat, covered, in the oven.
—Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gently
Adverb
-
They’d been poorly reviewed, sold weakly, and were generally held in low esteem except by a select few.—
Vince Passaro,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Many systems are either highly mobile but weakly connected, or strongly connected but slow to reconfigure and prone to losing mobility.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
Incredibly, Joel takes a seat and begins to tenderly tickle the ivories.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Stay in a Historic Inn A short walk up the road is The 1910 Inn, an aqua- and eggplant-hued historic Queen Anne home that fourth-generation local Annie Samarkos has tenderly restored into a bed-and-breakfast and event venue.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
4 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Dewey-eyed and softly singing, audience members called out for the same.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Crawford, on the other hand, touted Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show bombshell hair; her honey-brown highlights softly waved and parted over the right side of her head.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
3 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
In a now-viral video, Dart was seen sweetly interacting with a young boy named Giuseppi.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Mirren now calls Zegler, rather sweetly, Little Rachel.—
Helen Mirren,
Glamour,
27 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
That merely meant coach Brian Dutcher didn’t have to delicately parcel out playing time while massaging egos on his Mariana Trench-deep roster, and the bench shortened by circumstance delivered a 77-45 win powered by a pair of true freshmen and a typically frenetic defensive effort.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The black silk gown, which features a metallic gold leaf motif that wraps delicately around the body, belonged to the designer’s model and muse Kathy Jean-Louis, who wore it on the runway.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Dean talked to Rolling Stone about The Grammys, keeping the TV on during recording sessions, being divinely connected to music, and a whole lot more.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
-
We will be divinely pushed to speak from our hearts and to be open about our desires.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
18 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
One man aboard the boat knew how to navigate the mangroves and sandbars of the keys, and with the late summer sun beating down on the rafters, the boat pushed out feebly into the open ocean.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Harris compassionately explored these issues that many women faced later in life — and which rarely went represented on television.—
Time,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Each was compassionately euthanized Thursday.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gently. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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