Gentle \Gen"tle\, a. [Compar. Gentler; superl. Gentlest.]
[OE. gentil, F. gentil noble, pretty, graceful, fr. L.
gentilis of the same clan or race, fr. gens, gentis, tribe,
clan, race, orig. that which belongs together by birth, fr.
the root of genere, gignere, to beget; hence gentle,
properly, of birth or family, that is, of good or noble
birth. See Gender, and cf. Genteel, Gentil, Gentile,
Gentoo, Jaunty.]
1. Well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though
not noble.
[1913 Webster]
British society is divided into nobility, gentry,
and yeomanry, and families are either noble, gentle,
or simple. --Johnson's
Cyc.
[1913 Webster]
The studies wherein our noble and gentle youth ought
to bestow their time. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
2. Quiet and refined in manners; not rough, harsh, or stern;
mild; meek; bland; amiable; tender; as, a gentle nature,
temper, or disposition; a gentle manner; a gentle address;
a gentle voice.
[1913 Webster]
3. A compellative of respect, consideration, or conciliation;
as, gentle reader. "Gentle sirs." "Gentle Jew." "Gentle
servant." --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
4. Not wild, turbulent, or refractory; quiet and docile;
tame; peaceable; as, a gentle horse.
[1913 Webster]
5. Soft; not violent or rough; not strong, loud, or
disturbing; easy; soothing; pacific; as, a gentle touch; a
gentle gallop . "Gentle music." --Sir J. Davies.
[1913 Webster]
O sleep! it is a gentle thing. --Coleridge.
[1913 Webster]
The gentle craft, the art or trade of shoemaking.
Syn: Mild; meek; placid; dovelike; quiet; peaceful; pacific;
bland; soft; tame; tractable; docile.
Usage: Gentle, Tame, Mild, Meek. Gentle describes the
natural disposition; tame, that which is subdued by
training; mild implies a temper which is, by nature,
not easily provoked; meek, a spirit which has been
schooled to mildness by discipline or suffering. The
lamb is gentle; the domestic fowl is tame; John, the
Apostle, was mild; Moses was meek.
[1913 Webster]
Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
|
310 Moby Thesaurus words for "gentle":
accepting, acclimate, acclimatize, accommodate, accustom, adapt,
adjust, affable, agreeable, ambling, amiable, appease,
aristocratic, balmy, barely audible, bed, bed down, benign, bland,
bleeding, bonhomous, break, break in, break to harness, bridle,
broken, brush, bust, calm, calm down, case harden, cautious,
charitable, chastened, chivalrous, circumspect, claudicant,
clement, commiserative, compassionate, complaisant, compose,
condition, condolent, confirm, controllable, cool, cordial, cradle,
crawling, creeping, creeping like snail, cultivated, cultured,
curry, currycomb, cushion, dainty, decrescendo, deliberate,
delicate, dim, distant, docile, domesticate, domesticated,
domesticize, dovelike, drench, ducal, dulcify, ease, easy,
easy-natured, easygoing, establish, even out, exalted, faint,
faint-voiced, faltering, familiarize, feeble, feed, fix, flagging,
fluff, fodder, foot-dragging, forbearant, forbearing, forgiving,
genial, genteel, gentlemanlike, gentlemanly, good-humored,
good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, gradual, groom, habituate,
halcyon, half-heard, halting, handle, harden, harness, high,
highbred, hitch, hobbled, hobbling, housebreak, housebroken, human,
humane, humble, hush, hushed, idle, indistinct, indolent,
indulgent, inure, judicious, kind, kindly, kinglike, kingly, knead,
knightly, ladylike, lamblike, languid, languorous, lax, laxate,
lazy, leisurely, lenient, light, limber, limber up, limping,
litter, loosen, low, lull, lumbering, manage, manageable, mash,
massage, meek, mellow, mellowy, melting, merciful, mild,
mild as milk, milden, milk, moderate, mollified, mollify, murmured,
naturalize, noble, nonresistive, nonrigid, nonviolent,
of gentle blood, of rank, orient, orientate, pacific, pacifistic,
pacify, patient, patrician, peaceable, peaceful, pianissimo, piano,
pitying, placid, pleasant, pleasing, plump, poking, poky, polished,
pour balm into, princelike, princely, prudent, pulp, queenlike,
queenly, quell, quiet, quite the lady, refined, relax, relaxed,
reluctant, rest, restful, rock, rock to sleep, rub down, ruthful,
saddle, sauntering, scarcely heard, season, serene, shake up,
shuffling, slack, slothful, slow, slow as death, slow as molasses,
slow as slow, slow-crawling, slow-foot, slow-going, slow-legged,
slow-moving, slow-paced, slow-poky, slow-running, slow-sailing,
slow-stepped, sluggish, smash, smooth, smooth down, smooth over,
smoothen, snail-paced, snaillike, sober, soft, soft as putty,
soft-sounding, soft-voiced, soften, soften up, softened,
softhearted, soothe, soothing, squash, stabilize, staggering,
steady, still, strolling, subaudible, subdue, subdued, supple,
sweet, sweet-tempered, sympathetic, sympathizing, tame, tamed,
temperate, tend, tender, tenderhearted, tenderize, tentative,
thoughtful, titled, toddling, tolerant, tone down, tortoiselike,
tottering, tractable, train, tranquil, tranquilize, trudging,
tune down, turtlelike, unclear, understanding, undisturbed,
unhurried, unruffled, untroubled, waddling, warmhearted, water,
weak, weak-voiced, well-bred, well-brought-up, well-natured,
whisper-soft, whispered, wont, yoke
Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
|
Gentle \Gen"tle\, a. [Compar. Gentler; superl. Gentlest.]
[OE. gentil, F. gentil noble, pretty, graceful, fr. L.
gentilis of the same clan or race, fr. gens, gentis, tribe,
clan, race, orig. that which belongs together by birth, fr.
the root of genere, gignere, to beget; hence gentle,
properly, of birth or family, that is, of good or noble
birth. See Gender, and cf. Genteel, Gentil, Gentile,
Gentoo, Jaunty.]
1. Well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though
not noble.
British society is divided into nobility, gentry,
and yeomanry, and families are either noble, gentle,
or simple. --Johnson's
Cyc.
The studies wherein our noble and gentle youth ought
to bestow their time. --Milton.
2. Quiet and refined in manners; not rough, harsh, or stern;
mild; meek; bland; amiable; tender; as, a gentle nature,
temper, or disposition; a gentle manner; a gentle address;
a gentle voice.
3. A compellative of respect, consideration, or conciliation;
as, gentle reader. ``Gentle sirs.'' ``Gentle Jew.''
``Gentle servant.'' --Shak.
4. Not wild, turbulent, or refractory; quiet and docile;
tame; peaceable; as, a gentle horse.
5. Soft; not violent or rough; not strong, loud, or
disturbing; easy; soothing; pacific; as, a gentle touch; a
gentle gallop . ``Gentle music.'' --Sir J. Davies.
O sleep! it is a gentle thing. --Coleridge.
The gentle craft, the art or trade of shoemaking.
Syn: Mild; meek; placid; dovelike; quiet; peaceful; pacific;
bland; soft; tame; tractable; docile.
Usage: Gentle, Tame, Mild, Meek. Gentle describes the
natural disposition; tame, that which is subdued by
training; mild implies a temper which is, by nature,
not easily provoked; meek, a spirit which has been
schooled to mildness by discipline or suffering. The
lamb is gentle; the domestic fowl is tame; John, the
Apostle, was mild; Moses was meek.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
|