as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
a demanding and ungentle land that was not for the fainthearted
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Recent Examples of ungentle
But going back to trying to be gentle in ungentle times.
—
Stephanie Stradley, Houston Chronicle, 25 Sep. 2020
Notes From an Apocalypse is a gentle argument for coming to terms with the precarity of life, published in a moment where people are facing its fragility in an immediate and ungentle context.
—Kate Knibbs, Wired, 16 Apr. 2020
Stephanie Stradley, Houston Chronicle, 25 Sep. 2020
Notes From an Apocalypse is a gentle argument for coming to terms with the precarity of life, published in a moment where people are facing its fragility in an immediate and ungentle context.
—Kate Knibbs, Wired, 16 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ungentle
Adjective
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Meanwhile, Ye-jin is drawn in by the caring nature beneath Matthew’s gruff surface.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
29 May 2026
-
But the grizzled former Man in Black and man-who-failed-to-ground-Maverick isn’t known for playing the type of gruff ol’ cowpoke who’s about to break into song.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
His portrait, stern and majestic, hangs broodingly over the stairs; elsewhere on the walls, the art ranges from the Baroque to the bro-tinged, with turbaned figures sharing space with Ryu from Street Fighter.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
-
The cop, who was fingerprinted after taking the deal, had a stern expression throughout the brief hearing.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
The world may have looked grim in what was also a penultimate week before elections, when the focus becomes necessarily not on joy but misery, the political premise being the winning candidate is the one who makes the electorate the angriest.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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The combination of factors threatens to make what is a grim situation worse.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Reddit is home to many of Civilization VII’s fiercest critics, but Test of Time also appears to be well received there, too.—
Barry Collins,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
She will be remembered for her loving generosity, fierce opinions, endless curiosity, unique style, and her powdered, almond, crescent cookies at Christmas, hence her name, Auntie Cookie.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Bring Something to Share In some soft socializing settings, bringing something to share can also foster a sense of connection, and small acts of participation may help make socializing feel less intimidating and more collaborative.—
Kate Donovan,
Martha Stewart,
28 May 2026
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When safety is embedded into the workplace culture, changing regulations become less intimidating because the organization is already oriented around protecting people.—
John F. McQuillan,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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Unpredictable weather and rugged camping conditions add to the adventure rather than detract from it, and the route sits high on many hikers’ bucket lists for that reason.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
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Top Gear is alluding to the G-Wagon's legitimate off-roading chops thanks to its ground clearance and rugged build.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Weiss and Tom Cibrowski were openly hostile from the start.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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The Space Force budget has grown significantly in recent years, and one of its mandates is countering spying and potentially hostile acts by Russian and Chinese spacecraft in these orbits.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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The conflict in the Middle East has posed a severe risk to the Indian economy, as energy supply disruptions have inflated the country's import bill, piling pressure on the rupee that has already been hit by record foreign investor outflows.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
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Crime scene photos shown in court Photos presented to the jury showed Dinkins with severe bruising all over her small body.—
Ashley Paul,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ungentle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ungentle. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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