gentle

gentle
I
(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)
adj. mild, calm; soothing, kindly, tolerant; considerate, courteous, well-bred, high-born; tame, docile. See courtesy, moderation, nobility, domestication. Ant., rough, brutal.
II
(Roget's IV) modif.
1. [Soft]
Syn. mild, moderate, tender, soothing; see faint 3 , mild 2 , soft 2 , 3 .
2. [Kind]
Syn. tender, considerate, benign, sensitive; see kind 1 .
3. [Tamed]
Syn. domesticated, tame, docile, broken, housebroken, disciplined, educated, trained, cowed, civilized, tractable, pliable, taught, cultivated, obedient to the rein.
Ant. wild*, savage, untamed.
4. [Well-born]
Syn. highbred, blue-blooded, aristocratic; see noble 3 , refined 2 .
See Synonym Study at soft .
III
(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.
1. soft light, delicate, calm, quiet, easy, tender, slight, mellow, faint, temperate.
2. kindly agreeable, mild, docile, tender, soft, quiet, placid, peaceful, meek, serene, tame.
ANT.: 1. rough, hard, violent. 2. violent, vicious, rough
IV
(Roget's Thesaurus II) I adjective 1. Of a kindly, considerate character: mild, soft, softhearted, tender1, tenderhearted. See KIND. 2. Free from severity or violence, as in movement: balmy1, delicate, faint, mild, smooth, soft. See CALM, STRONG. 3. Of small intensity: light2, moderate, slight, soft. See STRONG. 4. Easily managed or handled: docile, meek, mild, tame. See WILD. 5. Not steep or abrupt: easy, gradual, moderate. See RISE. II verb 1. To ease the anger or agitation of: appease, assuage, calm (down), conciliate, dulcify, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate, soften, soothe, sweeten. Idiom: pour oil on troubled water. See CALM. 2. To train to live with and be of use to people: domesticate, domesticize, master, tame. See WILD. 3. To make (an animal) docile: break, bust, master, tame. See WILD.

English dictionary for students. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , / , , , , , , / , , , , , / , , , / , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • 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 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gentle — [jent′ l] adj. gentler, gentlest [ME gentil < OFr, of noble birth < L gentilis, of the same gens (in LL, of a good family) < gens: see GENS] 1. belonging to the upper classes or polite society 2. like or suitable to polite society;… …   English World dictionary

  • gentle — The phrase the gentle art, which was used with clever irony by the American painter James McNeill Whistler in his title The Gentle Art of Making Enemies (1890), had already become a cliché by the time Fowler wrote (1926). As well as being used… …   Modern English usage

  • gentle — [adj1] having a mild or kind nature affable, agreeable, amiable, benign, biddable, bland, compassionate, considerate, cool*, cultivated, disciplined, docile, domesticated, dovelike*, easy, genial, humane, kindly, laid back*, lenient, manageable,… …   New thesaurus

  • 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.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gentle — may refer to: *Gentleness *Gentleman *Gentle (comics) …   Wikipedia

  • 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. (Zo[ o]l.) A dipterous larva used as fish bait. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gentle — index harmless, lenient, nonmilitant, peaceable, placid Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • gentle — (adj.) early 13c., well born, from O.Fr. gentil high born, noble, of good family (11c., in Modern French nice, graceful, pleasing; fine pretty ), from L. gentilis of the same family or clan, from gens (gen. gentis) race, clan, from root of… …   Etymology dictionary

  • gentle — *soft, mild, smooth, lenient, bland, balmy Analogous words: *moderate, temperate: *pleasant, agreeable, grateful, pleasing, welcome: *calm, tranquil, serene, placid, peaceful, halcyon Antonyms: rough, harsh Contrasted words: vehement, intense,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • gentle — ► ADJECTIVE (gentler, gentlest) 1) mild or kind; not rough or violent. 2) not harsh or severe. 3) archaic noble or courteous. DERIVATIVES gentleness noun gently adverb …   English terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”