gentleness


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gen·tle

 (jĕn′tl)
adj. gen·tler, gen·tlest
1. Considerate or kindly in disposition; amiable and tender.
2. Not harsh or severe; mild and soft: a gentle scolding; a gentle tapping at the window.
3. Easily managed or handled; docile: a gentle horse.
4. Not steep or sudden; gradual: a gentle incline.
5.
a. Of good family; wellborn: a child of gentle birth.
b. Suited to one of good breeding; refined and polite: a gentle greeting to a stranger.
6. Archaic Noble; chivalrous: a gentle knight.
n. Archaic
One of good birth or relatively high station.
tr.v. gen·tled, gen·tling, gen·tles
1. To make less severe or intense: The peaceful sunset gentled her dreadful mood.
2. To soothe, as by stroking; pacify.
3. To tame or break (a horse).
4. Obsolete To raise to the status of a noble.

[Middle English gentil, courteous, noble, from Old French, from Latin gentīlis, of the same clan, from gēns, gent-, clan; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]

gen′tle·ness n.
gen′tly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

gentleness

(ˈdʒɛntəlnɪs)
n
1. the quality of being gentle
2. (General Physics) physics a property of elementary particles, conserved in certain strong interactions. See also charm17
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Gentleness

 

See Also: KINDNESS

  1. Gentle as a newborn colt —Rex Reed In Reed’s novel, Personal Effects, the gentle behavior is that of a man making love.
  2. (Looked as) gentle as a suckling dove —Arthur Train
  3. Gently as a whisper —Slogan for door checks, Sargent & Co.
  4. Tender as dusk —Jessamyn West
  5. Tenderly as a mother —John Greenleaf Whittier
  6. Tender as young love —Maxwell Anderson
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.gentleness - the property possessed by a slope that is very gradual
gradient, slope - the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the horizontal; "a five-degree gradient"
2.gentleness - acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered; "his fingers have learned gentleness"; "suddenly her gigantic power melted into softness for the baby"; "even in the pulpit there are moments when mildness of manner is not enough"
personal manner, manner - a way of acting or behaving
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

gentleness

noun tenderness, compassion, kindness, consideration, sympathy, sweetness, softness, mildness, kindliness the gentleness with which she treated her pregnant mother
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
لَطافَه
jemnostmírnost
blidhedrolighedsvaghed
elõkelõ származás
mildi; mÿkt

gentleness

[ˈdʒentlnɪs] N
1. (= gentle nature) [of person] → dulzura f (de carácter); [of manner, voice] → dulzura f, delicadeza f; [of smile] → dulzura f, ternura f; [of hint, reminder, rebuke] → lo discreto; [of animal] → mansedumbre f, docilidad f
2. (= care) (in handling sth/sb) → cuidado m; (= consideration) → consideración f
3. (= mildness) [of shampoo, soap, etc] → suavidad f
4. (= lightness) [of movement, touch, breeze] → suavidad f, ligereza f
5. (= not steepness) [of slope] → suavidad f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

gentleness

[ˈdʒɛntəlnɪs] ndouceur f
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

gentleness

n
Sanftheit f; (of animal)Zahmheit f; (of treatment)Behutsamkeit f; (of touch, colour)Zartheit f, → Sanftheit f; (of pace, exercise)Gemächlichkeit f
(= mildness: of detergent, lotion, cream) → Milde f
(= subtlety)Milde f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

gentleness

[ˈdʒɛntlnɪs] n (see adj) → dolcezza; (XXX) → delicatezza; (XXX) → discrezione f; (XXX) → leggerezza
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

gentle

(ˈdʒentl) adjective
1. (of people) behaving, talking etc in a mild, kindly, pleasant way. a gentle old lady; The doctor was very gentle.
2. not strong or rough. a gentle breeze.
3. (of hills) rising gradually. a gentle slope.
ˈgently adverb
ˈgentleness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
The gentleness and gratitude of her disposition would secure her all your own immediately.
After a time, perceiving the meekness and gentleness of the beast's temper, he summoned courage enough to approach him.
Who that cares much to know the history of man, and how the mysterious mixture behaves under the varying experiments of Time, has not dwelt, at least briefly, on the life of Saint Theresa, has not smiled with some gentleness at the thought of the little girl walking forth one morning hand-in-hand with her still smaller brother, to go and seek martyrdom in the country of the Moors?
"In proof of which gentleness I adduce his adventure with the rabbit.
His admiration was at first very strong, but no more than was natural, and I did not wonder at his being much struck by the gentleness and delicacy of her manners; but when he has mentioned her of late it has been in terms of more extraordinary praise; and yesterday he actually said that he could not be surprised at any effect produced on the heart of man by such loveliness and such abilities; and when I lamented, in reply, the badness of her disposition, he observed that whatever might have been her errors they were to be imputed to her neglected education and early marriage, and that she was altogether a wonderful woman.
Anne of Austria fixed upon Buckingham a look so tender in its expression, that it denoted, not alone the indulgence of maternal affection, but a gentleness of expression like the coquetry of a woman who loves.
Henry van der Luyden, tall, spare and frock-coated, with faded fair hair, a straight nose like his wife's and the same look of frozen gentleness in eyes that were merely pale grey instead of pale blue.
They lecture our shortcomings unsparingly, and every night they call us together and read to us chapters from the Testament that are full of gentleness, of charity, and of tender mercy; and then all the next day they stick to their saddles clear up to the summits of these rugged mountains, and clear down again.
Twice again, imperatively, he called Jerry to him, and twice again, with flattened ears of gentleness and wagging tail, Jerry good-naturedly expressed his disinclination.
Not only Princess Mary, who had been won by his gentleness with the pilgrims, gave him her most radiant looks, but even the one-year-old "Prince Nicholas" (as his grandfather called him) smiled at Pierre and let himself be taken in his arms, and Michael Ivanovich and Mademoiselle Bourienne looked at him with pleasant smiles when he talked to the old prince.
Sadly Rose-Leaf led Eva away, saying, "Lily-Bosom shall have a grave tonight beneath our fairest blossoms, and you shall see that gentleness and love are prized far above gold or beauty, here in Fairy-Land.
The heavenly gentleness of his smile made his apologies irresistible.