Gentle Definition
jĕntl
gentled, gentler, gentles, gentlest, gentling
adjective
gentler, gentlest
Belonging to the upper classes or polite society.
Webster's New World
Kindly; serene; patient.
A gentle disposition.
Webster's New World
Generous; kind.
Gentle reader.
Webster's New World
Easily handled; tame.
A gentle dog.
Webster's New World
Like or suitable to polite society; refined, courteous, etc.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
noun
gentles
A person of the upper classes.
Webster's New World
One of good birth or relatively high station.
American Heritage
(archaic) A maggot used as bait by anglers.
Wiktionary
verb
gentled, gentles, gentling
To make gentle, mild, or pleasant.
Webster's New World
To tame or train (a horse or other animal)
Webster's New World
To calm or soothe as by stroking.
Webster's New World
To raise to the social status of a gentleman.
Webster's New World
To ennoble.
Wiktionary
idiom
the gentle craft
- fishing
- shoemaking
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Gentle
Adjective
Base Form:
gentle
Comparative:
gentler
Superlative:
gentlestIdioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Gentle
- the gentle craft
Origin of Gentle
-
Middle English gentil courteous, noble from Old French from Latin gentīlis of the same clan from gēns gent- clan genə- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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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”)
From Wiktionary
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