gentle
Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.
Adjective 4 meanings
Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.
“Stuart is a gentle man; he would never hurt you.”
Soft and mild rather than hard or severe.
“I felt something touch my shoulder; it was gentle and a little slimy.”
Docile and easily managed.
“We had a gentle swim in the lake.”
Gradual rather than steep or sudden.
“The walks in this area have a gentle incline.”
Verb 3 meanings
To become gentle.
To break; to tame; to domesticate.
To soothe; to calm; to make gentle.
Noun 2 meanings
A maggot used as bait by anglers.
A trained falcon, or falcon-gentil.
Etymology
From Middle English gentil (“courteous, noble”), from Old French gentil (“high-born, noble”), from Latin gentilis (“of the same family or clan”), from gens (“[Roman] clan”). Doublet of gentile, genteel, and jaunty.
Similar and opposite words
GENTLE at a glance
GENTLE has 6 letters and scores 7 points in Scrabble (G 2 + E 1 + N 1 + T 1 + L 1 + E 1) and 10 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #5,324 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with gentle
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