Gentle — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun verb /ˈjen-tᵊl/ gen·tle

Meaning & Definition of Gentle

Gentle (adjective)

  1. free from harshness, sternness, or violence
  2. tractable, docile
  3. soft, delicate

Gentle (noun)

  1. a person of gentle birth or status

Gentle (verb)

  1. to make (an animal) tame and docile
  2. to make gentler
  3. mollify, placate

Gentle (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not harsh or stern especially in nature or effect

    "use a gentle detergent on that delicate silk blouse"

    "her gentle ways"

    similar: balmy, benign, bland, delicate, light, mellow, mild, nonabrasive, soft, soothing, tender
    related: calm, pacific, peaceful, placid, quiet, serene, tranquil, clement, compassionate, easy, lenient, merciful, buffering, cushioning, emollient, softening, sleek, slick, smooth
    opposite: abrasive, caustic, coarse, hard, harsh, rough, scathing, stern, ungentle
    near: exquisite, fierce, intense, powerful, severe, forceful, forcible, savage, violent, roughened, rugged, strong, abrading, irritating, roughening, grim, gruff, rude, stiff, heavy-handed, oppressive, pitiless, tyrannical

  2. marked by temperatures that are neither too high nor too low

    "whisk the egg yolks in a double boiler set over a gentle heat"

    similar: balmy, clement, equable, genial, mild, moderate, soft, temperate
    related: clear, cloudless, fair, rainless, sunny, sunshiny, calm, halcyon, peaceful, placid, tranquil, delightful, fine, pleasant
    opposite: harsh, inclement, intemperate, severe
    near: blustering, blustery, breezy, gusty, rough, squally, stormy, windy, misty, rainy, showery, bleak, cloudy, dismal, foggy, gloomy, gray, hazy, overcast, sunless, bitter, dirty, foul, nasty, raw

  3. of high birth, rank, or station

    "loved reading about the days when gentle lords and ladies danced at fancy balls"

    similar: aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, grand, great, highborn, highbred, noble, patrician, silk-stocking, upper-class, upper-crust, wellborn
    related: high, lofty, superior, elevated, ennobled, exalted, gentlemanly, kingly, knightly, ladylike, lordly, princely, queenly, regal, royal, high-level, senior
    opposite: baseborn, common, humble, ignoble, low, lower-class, lowly, mean, nonaristocratic, plebeian, ungenteel
    near: inferior, knavish, bastard, illegitimate, ordinary, plain, abased, degraded, junior, subordinate

  4. not loud in pitch or volume

    "the mother spoke in a gentle voice to her child"

    similar: dull, low, quiet, soft
    related: dead, silent, still, calm, dreamy, hushed, peaceful, restful, serene, soothing, stilly, tranquil, muffled, muted, softened, toned (down)
    opposite: blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting, loud, overloud, piercing, plangent, resounding, ringing, roaring, sonorous, stentorian, thundering, thunderous
    near: brazen, crashing, dinning, discordant, noisy, obstreperous, raucous, rip-roaring, vociferous, grating, harsh, shrill, squealing, strident, clarion, clear, trumpetlike

Gentle (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a man or woman of high birth or social position

    "the archbishop treated both the gentles and the commoners with respect and kindness"

    similar: aristocrat, blue blood, gentleperson, noble, patrician
    related: socialite, swell, magnate, magnifico, mogul, nabob, gentlefolk
    near: canaille, commoner, pleb, plebeian, proletarian, roturier, boor, fellah, peasant, peon

Gentle (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to lessen the anger or agitation of

    "employees soon learned that their hot-tempered boss needed to be gentled several times a day"

    similar: appease, assuage, conciliate, disarm, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate
    related: calm, comfort, console, content, hush, quiet, soothe, tranquilize, endear (to), ingratiate, delight, gladden, gratify, please, adulate, blarney, flatter, overpraise, soft-soap, quench, sate, satiate, satisfy, cater (to), humor, indulge, blandish, cajole, coax, sweet-talk, wheedle, baby, coddle, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil, dulcify, sweeten
    opposite: anger, enrage, incense, inflame, infuriate, ire, madden, outrage
    near: aggravate, annoy, antagonize, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, cross, exasperate, gall, get, grate, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, pique, put out, rankle, rile, roil, ruffle, vex, provoke, rouse, harass, harry, persecute, pester, agitate, discomfort, distress, disturb, fret, perturb, unhinge, unsettle, upset, worry, affront, insult, offend, slight

  2. to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner

    "soothingly gentled his cat's head as she was being treated by the vet"

    similar: caress, fondle, love, pat, pet, stroke
    related: bill, canoodle, cuddle, neck, nestle, nose, nuzzle, snuggle, spoon, feel up, paw, cradle, embrace, enfold, hug, bounce, dandle, knead, massage, baby, coddle, indulge, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil

  3. to lessen the shock of

    "adding a bit of sugar to the salsa will gentle the hot spiciness of the chili peppers"

    similar: buffer, cushion, soften
    related: baffle, dampen, deaden, dull, obtund, moderate, modulate, temper, allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, lighten, mitigate, relieve
    near: heighten, intensify, sharpen

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Gentle

The most common words with a similar meaning to Gentle:

balmy, benign, bland, delicate, light, mellow, mild, nonabrasive, soft, soothing, tender, clement, equable, genial, moderate, temperate, aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, grand, great, highborn, highbred, noble, patrician, silk-stocking, upper-class, upper-crust, wellborn, dull, low, quiet, aristocrat, blue blood, gentleperson, appease, assuage, conciliate, disarm, mollify

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Gentle

Words with the opposite meaning of Gentle:

abrasive, caustic, coarse, hard, harsh, rough, scathing, stern, ungentle, inclement, intemperate, severe, baseborn, common, humble, ignoble, low, lower-class, lowly, mean, nonaristocratic, plebeian, ungenteel, blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting

Related Words for Gentle

calm, pacific, peaceful, placid, serene, tranquil, compassionate, easy, lenient, merciful, buffering, cushioning, emollient, softening, sleek, slick, smooth, clear, cloudless, fair, rainless, sunny, sunshiny, halcyon, delightful, fine, pleasant, high, lofty, superior

Near Antonyms of Gentle

exquisite, fierce, intense, powerful, forceful, forcible, savage, violent, roughened, rugged, strong, abrading, irritating, roughening, grim, gruff, rude, stiff, heavy-handed, oppressive, pitiless, tyrannical, blustering, blustery, breezy, gusty, squally, stormy, windy, misty

Word Forms of Gentle

Inflections: gentler, gentlest, gentled, gentling

Derived words: gently (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Gentle

Middle English gentyl "of aristocratic birth, exhibiting ideal characteristics of the wellborn, of excellent quality, gracious, courteous, kind," borrowed from Anglo-French gentil, borrowed from Medieval Latin gentīlis "of oneʼs own house, of good family or breeding, native, of a non-Jewish nation or faith, not Christian, pagan," going back to Latin "of a Roman gens, of oneʼs own family or tribe, native," from gent-, gens "race, people, gens" + -īlis, suffix of affiliation

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Gentle

  • Topics: Feelings & Emotions

Words & Phrases Containing Gentle

gentle breeze, gentle giant, falcon-gentle, gentler sex

Frequently Asked Questions about Gentle

What does "Gentle" mean?

"Gentle" means free from harshness, sternness, or violence. As an an adjective, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: free from harshness, sternness, or violence. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Gentle"?

Other words for "Gentle" include balmy, benign, bland, delicate, light, mellow, mild and nonabrasive. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Gentle" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Gentle"?

There are 181 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Gentle". Common alternatives include balmy, benign, bland, delicate, light, mellow, mild, nonabrasive, soft and soothing.

What is the opposite of "Gentle"?

Antonyms of "Gentle" include abrasive, caustic, coarse, hard, harsh, rough, scathing and stern. Near antonyms include exquisite, fierce, intense and powerful.

How do you use "Gentle" in a sentence?

Examples of "Gentle" in a sentence: "use a gentle detergent on that delicate silk blouse"; "her gentle ways"; "whisk the egg yolks in a double boiler set over a gentle heat".

Is "Gentle" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Gentle" can be used as an adjective, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Gentle"?

"Gentle" is pronounced /ˈjen-tᵊl/ and divided into syllables as gen·tle.

What is the origin of the word "Gentle"?

"Gentle" comes from Middle English gentyl "of aristocratic birth, exhibiting ideal characteristics of the wellborn, of excellent quality, gracious, courteous, kind," borrowed from Anglo-French gentil, borrowed from Medieval Latin gentīlis "of oneʼs own house, of good family or breeding, native, of a non-Jewish nation or faith, not Christian, pagan," going back to Latin "of a Roman gens, of oneʼs own family or tribe, native," from gent-, gens "race, people, gens" + -īlis, suffix of affiliation. First known use: 13th century.