[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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
see also:
gentler gentlest gender genteel gentil gentile 
gentoo jaunty the gentle craft gentle tame 
mild meek 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

gentle \gent"le\, v. t.
   1. to make genteel; to raise from the vulgar; to ennoble.
      obs. --shak.
      1913 webster

   2. to make smooth, cozy, or agreeable. r. or poet.
      1913 webster

            to gentle life's descent,
            we shut our eyes, and think it is a plain. --young.
      1913 webster

   3. to make kind and docile, as a horse. colloq. gentlefolk

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

gentle \gen"tle\, n.
   1. one well born; a gentleman. obs.
      1913 webster

            gentles, methinks you frown.          --shak.
      1913 webster

   2. a trained falcon. see falcon-gentil.
      1913 webster

   3. zool. a dipterous larva used as fish bait.
      1913 webster
see also:
falcon-gentil 

[4] : WordNet (r) 2.0

gentle
     adj 1: soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe; "a gentle
            reprimand"; "a vein of gentle irony"; "poked gentle
            fun at him"
     2: having or showing a kindly or tender nature; "the gentle
        touch of her hand"; "her gentle manner was comforting"; "a
        gentle sensitive nature"; "gentle blue eyes"
     3: quiet and soothing; "a gentle voice"; "a gentle nocturne"
     4: belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or
        aristocracy; "an aristocratic family"; "aristocratic
        bostonians"; "aristocratic government"; "a blue family";
        "blue blood"; "the blue-blooded aristocracy"; "of gentle
        blood"; "patrician landholders of the american south";
        "aristocratic bearing"; "aristocratic features";
        "patrician tastes" syn: aristocratic, aristocratical,
         blue, blue-blooded, patrician
     5: easily handled or managed; "a gentle old horse, docile and
        obedient" syn: docile
     6: having little impact; "an easy pat on the shoulder"; "gentle
        rain"; "a gentle breeze"; "a soft or light tapping at
        the window" syn: easy, soft
     7: marked by moderate steepness; "an easy climb"; "a gentle
        slope" syn: easy
     v 1: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of;
          "she managed to mollify the angry customer" syn: pacify,
           lenify, conciliate, assuage, appease, mollify,
           placate, gruntle
     2: give a title to someone; make someone a member of the
        nobility syn: ennoble, entitle
     3: stroke soothingly
see also:
aristocratic aristocratical blue blue-blooded patrician docile 
easy soft pacify lenify conciliate 
assuage appease mollify placate gruntle 
ennoble entitle 

[5] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

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

Gentle >> G Words
Gentle, definition of term: Gentle
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