as in tamed
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in appeased
to lessen the anger or agitation of
employees soon learned that their hot-tempered boss needed to be gentled several times a day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in caressed
to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner
soothingly gentled his cat's head as she was being treated by the vet
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in softened
to lessen the shock of
adding a bit of sugar to the salsa will gentle the hot spiciness of the chili peppers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gentled
Verb
-
The district appeased the coaches enough to avoid a boycott — but a silent protest still took shape.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Dec. 2025 -
The lie, at last, appeased him.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
In a video shared by the Broncos from the unveiling, Smith is seen carefully caressed the statue of her son's face just after the curtain drops.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
-
In one photo, the couple posed on the beach while Wyatt caressed her growing baby bump.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime Moore said Monday that language in the Palisades fire after-action report was intentionally softened for public release, as internal evaluations were made available to the public for the first time.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to Dutch oven; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Bronx native’s worries were calmed by the fourth quarter when the Pats extended their lead to 13 points.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
12 Jan. 2026
-
As both families left the hearing, a quick yelling dispute between them had to be calmed by a sheriff’s deputy in the hall.—
PJ Green
January 7,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Edwards went over to the center after the play, discussed the situation, patted Gobert and moved forward.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
7 Jan. 2026
-
While mingling with well-wishers, Charlotte, 10, gently patted her 12-year-old older brother’s back in a show of support and reassurance.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Odessa A’zion joined a litany of A-listers for Nominees Night, hosted by The Hollywood Reporter and Spotify as part of Golden Week, on Thursday in Los Angeles, donning a hairdo much tamer than her typical style.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
This has allowed many firms to avoid passing on the full cost of tariffs to consumers, keeping price hikes on goods relatively tame.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fan temperature Just because NASCAR has taken steps toward addressing some of the issues fans care about doesn’t mean the fan base will suddenly be soothed.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
After that, Riecken claimed that his faith had been restored; Martin, soothed, channelled a psychic message explaining how the flood had been averted.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Influenced by her Indian heritage, Japanese craft philosophy, and the traditions of Shetland knitting, her work is highly distinctive and also wholly wearable; David and I stroked scarves, asymmetric wraps, and sweaters with yearning.—
Sarah Moss,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Trump’s allies have always stroked his ego to get their way.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
11 Dec. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Gentled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gentled. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
