Definition of "gentle" in English

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.
   • a gentle horse

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.

6. (archaic) Well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though not noble.

   • 1893-1897, Charles Kendall Adams (editor), Johnson's Universal Encyclopedia British society is divided into nobility, gentry, and yeomanry, and families are either noble, gentle, or simple.

verb

1. (intransitive) To become gentle.

2. (transitive, obsolete) To ennoble.

3. (transitive, animal husbandry) To break; to tame; to domesticate.

4. (transitive) To soothe; to calm; to make gentle.

noun

1. (archaic) A person of high birth.

2. (fishing) A maggot used as bait by anglers.

3. A trained falcon, or falcon-gentil.