gentleness

Definition of gentlenessnext
as in kindness
the quality of having a generally kind and agreeable manner The students quickly learned that despite their new teacher's gentleness, good grades had to be earned through hard work.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of gentleness Each with a bespoke gentleness to their rhythms, these newest works by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Koji Fukada, and grand master Hirokazu Koreeda have been met with differing degrees of enthusiasm, per the many critics’ grids floating around. Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 22 May 2026 Firm if slightly sweaty handshake notwithstanding, there’s a gentleness to Root; old-school manners, slender shoulders and a reedy Sheffield twang. James Wallace, New York Times, 22 May 2026 Yes, with the wonderful Massoumeh, an extraordinary person, with this gentleness and intelligence everyone knows. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 15 May 2026 Its gentleness was, to me, one of its graces and one of its defining qualities. Damon Wise, Deadline, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for gentleness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gentleness
Noun
  • Friends and colleagues contrasted her pugnacious political statements with her personal kindness and good humor.
    Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
  • Acts of kindness are few and far between in the punishing Myanmar textile factory where young San Kyi (Nandar Myat Aung) makes a meager living, hunched over a sewing machine.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 July 2026
Noun
  • The natural sweetness of the rum’s grade A molasses will require less sugar, and the structure that comes with age may inspire you to sip this one in the evening at sundown when the temperatures dip, rather than midday poolside.
    Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Like the perfect peach, your fruit salad should dance between acidity and sweetness.
    Cooking Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Noun
  • That attentiveness showed up in small ways throughout our stay.
    Alisha Prakash, Travel + Leisure, 27 June 2026
  • In the past 15 years, and especially in the last five, our city has seen an influx of pizza restaurants and chefs who’ve brought a diversity of styles and an attentiveness to elevated ingredients and approaches.
    Peter St. Onge Updated June 24, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • Your adaptable mind spots small fixes quickly, while patience keeps family feelings warm as changes unfold.
    Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026
  • Obama had no patience for Americans who denounced their country for being irredeemably flawed.
    Mark Brilliant, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Noun
  • Money Metals Exchange has been in business since 2010 and holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau for its responsiveness to customer complaints.
    Deane Biermeier, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • What the grid needs is more generation and more responsiveness.
    Tom Bitting, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Noun
  • Their willingness to take on the risk of crossing the narrow waterway is crucial for the normalization of the oil market, still recovering from a historic four-month crisis.
    Weilun Soon, Fortune, 5 July 2026
  • Public Act 26-108 reflects a willingness by lawmakers from both parties to evaluate promising treatments through research rather than assumption.
    John R. Gordon, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
Noun
  • For example, a person with a high tolerance with opioids would see reduced tolerance under the drug.
    Gavin Escott, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • The state’s Holocaust Education Bill, passed in 1994, requires every school district to teach the Holocaust with the explicit aim of building tolerance, nurturing democratic values, and confronting what indifference produces.
    Masha Pearl, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026
Noun
  • Effective recovery depends not only on the generosity of the donations, but also on strategic approaches that can get the type of aid needed to the people who need it.
    Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
  • In all of these cases, the effect is largely the same—forging intimacy through some level of generosity or gallantry, coupled with pure, physical proximity—and in 2026, all of them are still technically possible.
    Sara Delgado, Vogue, 9 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gentleness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gentleness. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on gentleness

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster