Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: French
Origin: gentil, from Latin gentilis 'of a family, of the same family', from gens; GENTILE

gentle

 adjective
     
Related topics: Nature
gen‧tle S3 W3
1 kind and careful in the way you behave or do things, so that you do not hurt or damage anyone or anything [≠ rough]:
Arthur was a very gentle, caring person.
gentle voice/smile/touch
'Where does it hurt?' she asked in a gentle voice.
gentle with
Be gentle with the baby.
2 not extreme, strong, or violent
gentle exercise/walk/stroll etc
a program of regular gentle exercise
the gentle pressure of Jill's hand
After a little gentle persuasion, she agreed to go back to her family.
Melt the butter over a gentle heat (=low heat).
3DN a gentle wind or rain is soft and light:
4DN a gentle hill or slope is not steep or sharp:
the gentle slopes of Mt Pelee
—gentleness noun [uncountable]
➔ gentlyWORD FOCUS: kind WORD FOCUS: kind
similar words: nice, considerate, thoughtful, sympathetic, benevolent, compassionate, gentle

➔ See also kind
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary