What does "gentle" mean?
A person of high birth.
Gentle
/ˈdʒɛntl̩/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person of high birth.
- Grammar: gentle is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: soft, accepting, acclimate, acclimatize.
- Useful contrasts: brutal, forceful, rude.
- Usage evidence: In his school days he wasn't as gentle as he is now.
How to use "gentle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gentle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gentle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gentle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gentle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gentle" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "soft" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gentle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A person of high birth. archaic
"Gentles, methinks you frown."
- 2 A maggot used as bait by anglers.
"Pooh! the whole thing is as alive and wrigging as an angler's box of gentles"
- 3 A trained falcon, or falcon-gentil.
Verb
- 1 To become gentle. intransitive
"“She's experienced a horrific and nasty scare and is in a state of shock, but otherwise she's relatively okay.” Conrad replied, his tone at first grim (as he recalled what he'd seen in the family room) and then it gentled to a more doctorial tone as he directed his next comments to his patient."
- 2 stroke soothingly wordnet
- 3 To ennoble. obsolete, transitive
"[…] For he to-day that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, / This day shall gentle his condition […]"
- 4 cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of wordnet
- 5 To break; to tame; to domesticate. transitive
"Yakima could have tried to catch him, gentle him as Wolf had been gentled, but having two stallions in his cavvy would lead to a different kind of trouble."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 give a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility wordnet
- 7 To soothe; to calm; to make gentle. transitive
"A hornist, his playing gentled by perspective, is out of sight within the woods, but his notes are heard through or over the murmuring mix of bird song and breeze in leaves."
Adjective
- 1 Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.
"Stuart is a gentle man; he would never hurt you."
- 2 Soft and mild rather than hard or severe.
"I felt something touch my shoulder; it was gentle and a little slimy."
- 3 Docile and easily managed.
"We had a gentle swim in the lake."
- 4 Gradual rather than steep or sudden.
"The walks in this area have a gentle incline."
- 5 Polite and respectful rather than rude.
"He gave me a gentle reminder that we had to hurry up."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though not noble. archaic
""You are of gentle blood," she said […]"
Adjective
- 1 marked by moderate steepness wordnet
- 2 having little impact wordnet
- 3 having or showing a kindly or tender nature wordnet
- 4 quiet and soothing wordnet
- 5 soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy wordnet
- 7 easily handled or managed wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"In his school days he wasn't as gentle as he is now."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gentle"?
Common synonyms include: soft, accepting, acclimate, acclimatize, accommodate, accustom.
How do you use "gentle" in a sentence?
In his school days he wasn't as gentle as he is now.
How do you pronounce "gentle"?
Pronounced /ˈdʒɛntl̩/.
Etymology
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”). Doublet of gentile, genteel, and jaunty.