Word Meanings - GENTLE - Book Publishers vocabulary database

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,

Additional info about word: GENTLE

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 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. -- 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.

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of GENTLE)

• affable
• Courteous
• accessible
• condescending
• conversible
• gracious
• sociable
• gentle
• complaisant
• urbane
• polite
• easy
• approachable
• Bland
• Soft
• mild
• courteous
• tender
• benign
• Docile
• Compliant
• amenable
• easily managed
• yielding
• quiet
• pliant
• tractable
• teachable
• tame
• Easy
• Quiet
• comfortable
• manageable
• indulgent
• facile
• lenient
• unconstrained
• not difficult
• unconcerned
• self-possessed
• Gracious
• Affable
• benignant
• kind
• civil
• merciful
• friendly
• beneficent

Possible antonyms: (opposite words of GENTLE)

• Rouse
• excite
• disturb
• agitate
• stir
• urge
• goad
• Withhold
• withdraw
• retain
• appropriate

Related words: (words related to GENTLE)

• URBANE
  Courteous in manners; polite; refined; elegant.
• POLITENESS
  1. High finish; smoothness; burnished elegance. Evelyn. 2. The quality or state of being polite; refinement of manners; urbanity; courteous behavior; complaisance; obliging attentions. Syn. -- Courtesy; good breeding; refinement; urbanity;
• TENDER
  A vessel employed to attend other vessels, to supply them with provisions and other stores, to convey intelligence, or the like. 3. A car attached to a locomotive, for carrying a supply of fuel and water. (more info) 1. One who tends; one who takes
• TEACHABLENESS
  Willingness to be taught.
• APPROPRIATENESS
  The state or quality of being appropriate; peculiar fitness. Froude.
• ROUSE
  To pull or haul strongly and all together, as upon a rope, without the assistance of mechanical appliances.
• POLITE
  1. Smooth; polished. Rays of light falling on a polite surface. Sir I. Newton. 2. Smooth and refined in behavior or manners; well bred; courteous; complaisant; obliging; civil. He marries, bows at court, and grows polite. Pope. 3. Characterized
• BLANDLY
  In a bland manner; mildly; suavely.
• BLANDNESS
  The state or quality of being bland.
• UNCONCERNMENT
  The state of being unconcerned, or of having no share or concern; unconcernedness. South.
• YIELD
  pay, give, restore, make an offering; akin to OFries. jelda, OS. geldan, D. gelden to cost, to be worth, G. gelten, OHG. geltan to pay, restore, make an offering, be worth, Icel. gjalda to pay, give up, Dan. gielde to be worth, Sw. gälla to be
• AGITATE
  1. To move with a violent, irregular action; as, the wind agitates the sea; to agitate water in a vessel. "Winds . . . agitate the air." Cowper. 2. To move or actuate. Thomson. 3. To stir up; to disturb or excite; to perturb; as, he was greatly
• BENEFICENT
  , a. Doing or producing good; performing acts of kindness and charity; characterized by beneficence. The beneficent fruits of Christianity. Prescott. Syn. -- See Benevolent.
• TENDERLY
  In a tender manner; with tenderness; mildly; gently; softly; in a manner not to injure or give pain; with pity or affection; kindly. Chaucer.
• TENDERNESS
  The quality or state of being tender (in any sense of the adjective). Syn. -- Benignity; humanity; sensibility; benevolence; kindness; pity; clemency; mildness; mercy.
• RETAINMENT
  The act of retaining; retention. Dr. H. More.
• LENIENTLY
  In a lenient manner.
• YIELDABLE
  Disposed to yield or comply. -- Yield"a*ble*ness, n. Bp. Hall.
• BENEFICENTLY
  In a beneficent manner; with beneficence.
• YIELDANCE
  1. The act of producing; yield; as, the yieldance of the earth. Bp. Hall. 2. The act of yielding; concession. South.
• DISQUIETTUDE
  Want of peace or tranquility; uneasiness; disturbance; agitation; anxiety. Fears and disquietude, and unavoidable anxieties of mind. Abp. Sharp.
• TROUSERING
  Cloth or material for making trousers.
• EFFLAGITATE
  To ask urgently. Cockeram.
• DISQUIETLY
  In a disquiet manner; uneasily; as, he rested disquietly that night. Wiseman.
• MISMANAGER
  One who manages ill.
• UNQUIET
  To disquiet. Ld. Herbert.
• TROUSE
  Trousers. Spenser.
• ANTHROPOLITE
  A petrifaction of the human body, or of any portion of it.