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gently

[jen-tl]

Example Sentences Origin

adjective

kindly; amiable: a gentle manner.

not severe, rough, or violent; mild: a gentle wind; a gentle tap on the shoulder.

moderate: gentle heat.

gradual: a gentle slope.

of good birth or family; wellborn.

EXPAND

characteristic of good birth; honorable; respectable: a gentle upbringing.

easily handled or managed; tractable: a gentle animal.

soft or low: a gentle sound.

polite; refined: Consider, gentle reader, my terrible predicament at this juncture.

10.

entitled to a coat of arms; armigerous.

11.

Archaic. noble; chivalrous: a gentle knight.

COLLAPSE

verb (used with object)

12.

to tame; render tractable.

13.

to mollify; calm; pacify.

14.

to make gentle.

15.

to stroke; soothe by petting.

16.

to ennoble; dignify.

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Gently is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English gentle, gentil(e) < Old French gentil highborn, noble < Latin gentīlis belonging to the same family, equivalent to gent- (stem of gēns) gens + -īlis -le

Related forms

gen·tle·ness, noun

gen·tly, adverb

o·ver·gen·tle, adjective

o·ver·gen·tly, adverb

un·gen·tle, adjective

EXPAND

un·gen·tle·ness, noun

un·gen·t·ly, adverb

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
1. clement, peaceful, pacific, soothing; tender, humane, lenient, merciful. Gentle, meek, mild refer to an absence of bad temper or belligerence. Gentle has reference especially to disposition and behavior, and often suggests a deliberate or voluntary kindness or forbearance in dealing with others: a gentle pat; gentle with children. Meek implies a submissive spirit, and may even indicate undue submission in the face of insult or injustice: meek and even servile or weak. Mild suggests absence of harshness or severity, rather because of natural character or temperament than conscious choice: a mild rebuke; a mild manner. 3. temperate. 5. noble. 7. manageable, docile, tame, quiet. 9. courteous; polished.

Antonyms
1. harsh, cruel. 2. violent, sudden. 7. wild, unruly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To gently

Example Sentences

Rather than go gently into the digital night, manual typewriters have captured a new generation of hearts.

Whether you choose to open it gently or kick it down is your prerogative.

In the past three years the company has been gently drawing back from this structure without attempting a radical reorganisation.

EXPAND

Rather than go gently into the digital night, manual typewriters have captured a new generation of hearts.

Whether you choose to open it gently or kick it down is your prerogative.

In the past three years the company has been gently drawing back from this structure without attempting a radical reorganisation.

Cradled in my arms, gently jawing my hand in his mouth, he's as docile as any lapdog.

Remember this: gently boosting the electrical waves in the brain can improve memory.

When the guilty party finally came forward, she treated him gently but firmly.

To avoid damaging branches, twist fruit off gently rather than pulling it.

Accelerate gently to get your wheels moving again and increase traction.

Fennel and spring onions, cooked gently until they begin to caramelize, make a sweet topping for a pizza.

Since you signed the contract, you can ask gently but unequivocally for the details in writing.

Sellers bump gently into buyers, putting a foot in the customer's boat to ensure that the deal does not drift away.

Dip your fingers into the bowl of water and then press it gently on the paper layer, making the paper damp.

Hawkes gently tugs away a logo-emblazoned veil to reveal a new.

Slack gently loosens the bat's claws from the rock and slips the four-inch-long animal into a brown paper bag.

Using a metal spatula, gently pick up each loaf from the sheet pan and place directly on the cooking grate.

Great deals on gently used election system demo units.

Heating the lamb gently along with spices and other aromatics, allowing the flavors to fully penetrate the meat.

Once you understand the culture, work within that by gently herding students towards your preferred method of contact.

From one room wafts the bittersweet smell of chocolate being gently heated and stirred by chocolatiers.

To jibe-turn with the wind at your back-carefully pull in sail and gently turn rudder, then slowly let sail out on opposite side.

Mirko gently pulls the excited dog from the spot and pushes through the soil with his fingers.

Like a people friendly stage set, its gently tilted floor fans out from the tower and city hall backdrop.

The gently curving path invites you to stroll among the plants, and leads to a small circular patio.

Segway is training some customers in gently but firmly coaxing riders down.

Gently saute the chopped onions, celery and carrots until the vegetables are soft.

On another layer of paper towels, spread the drained garbanzo beans and gently roll to dry them.

And some budget-watchers have gently suggested that this might be an appropriate time to look for ways to raise revenues.

Ask your parents to help you crush the mints by gently hitting them with a hammer.

Heat the flask's bottom with a propane torch until the water boils gently.

He touches a button, activating a press from below, and the crayons gently rise up into the collecting tray.

Hand-water gently with a wide nozzle, or use drip to irrigate pots or hanging baskets.

That's a strain of uncritical, too-easy metacomedy that really needs to go gently into that good night.

Using a muddler or wooden spoon, gently bruise mint.

He didn't blow any smoke up students' rear ends, but he treated them gently while taking their intellects seriously.

She is attempting to train several tame elephants to respond to such signals by shutting them inside a gently vibrating truck.

Ask students to gently rock their tray back and forth to simulate waves and tidal changes.

Gently boil the water for two minutes to rip open the cell walls and release your genetic blueprint.

If you put a boat fender out on a rope, he'd hold it in his mouth and play tug-of-war, gently enough not to destroy the fender.

Gently lift tubers from the ground, shake or hose off soil, and let them dry in the sun for a few hours.

Garrigan said to gently pull back on the yoke and the airplane gently began to rotate.

So gently and peacefully did the spirit of the great soldier depart that the sorrowing relatives at his bedside.

I'll gently nudge them that we're anxiously waiting.

The alloy is then gently heated, melting the alloy and connecting the components to the wires and thus to one another.

Because the bones were buried gently and slowly in mud, many of them remain uncrushed.

She must show them where they've gone right or wrong and gently steer them onto a successful path.

The beetle gently probed the surface of the car with its forelegs.

Double boilers are great for gently melting chocolate, but we've found an even easier method that uses common kitchen equipment.

Kim's suggestions are a coffee percolator and a fan, perfect to waft you gently from sleep to wakefulness with minimal distress.

If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression.

Also, simply to gently correct some misstatements about the site here.

If you are lucky, you scud over a silvery, gently undulating sea.

Fill the bottle to the top with tap water and shake gently to combine the liquids.

Looking up close as they gently curl and uncoil their tapered mouths toward food, you sense that they.

Locals can also drop off their gently used furniture to reduce and recycle and give quality pieces a second life in a new home.

Roy picks him up and, cradling the child in a hug, lays him gently in his crib.

Place quinoa in a large bowl of cold water and rub gently for a.

They try to nudge them up gently so as not to choke off demand.

The landscape consists of gently rolling plains and extensive forests.

Then gently separate the filaments by pulling on the threads and secure the paper clips on hooks screwed into the wooden frame.

With a pastry brush, gently coat the back of each cookie with chocolate.

Gently but firmly adjust the pins so that they push more strongly against the cartridge contacts.

If the butcher has not removed the membrane on the back of each rack, gently pry it up by sliding a.

Gently place the string so that it lies on top of the ice cube.

Niklason's team first gently removed the lung cells from their support architecture--made mostly of collagen--leaving it intact.

Fold the white sauce gently but thoroughly into the beaten egg whites, using a flexible spatula.

Now that the end is nigh, he isn't ready for the series to go gently into that good night.

The city still rocks, and its rockers still ache, but more gently now.

Gently stretch the card as far as it will go and put it over your head.

Clarke gently berated us for not taking cold fusion seriously enough.

Using a cultivator, gently scratch the soil beneath plants with roots growing close to the surface.

And, if a tick is found, it should be removed gently with tweezers pushed close to the skin.

Also try wiggling the tube gently to make sure its ends are seated firmly in the sockets.

Dip a cotton ball or pad into the mixture and carefully apply to your eye area, wiping gently.

Gigantic turbines out of sight, swaying gently from side to side.

The desk is also made of birch, its edge gently curved to echo the ceiling's lines.

Mobile handsets have settled into a groove featurewise and are now gently nudging their way upward in speed.

Fold it over and pat it down again, as gently as you can.

Gently sauté the onions, garlic, and a pinch of sugar in butter until the onions turn brown.

If so, the system will sound an alarm and gently apply the brakes.

We gently pick them up and pet them, so they'll get used to humans.

All around me, female avatars minced by in stilettos, breasts bobbing gently in bras and corsets.

Cut the dough in half and knead each half gently into a round ball.

Kilauea is a shield volcano, or a low, gently sloping volcano built almost entirely from.

The researcher then gently strokes both the hidden and rubber hands with a paintbrush.

Butter lettuce and tender spring greens are best when gently coated with a lightly acidic dressing.

Those that live in trees tend to land hard, and those who live in caves land gently.

Unmold by first running a little cold water over outside of molds, then gently pulling the sticks.

For each, use a serrated knife to gently saw one of the narrow ends of a graham cracker quarter into a peak.

She carried a toy frog over to her water bowl, and gently put it down as pictured.

Gently transfer quesadillas to grill and cook until grill marks appear.

Instead of letting the racer down gently when the work is done, a jack man pulls a switch to drop it to the ground.

Gently pick through the crabmeat to remove any bits of shell.

Twenty-five of the ants were then put gently on their backs.

They may even gently bury the seeds in the mosses at the plant's feet.

Gently lay the slab down in a shallow bed dug for the purpose and water.

As this cord unfurls, it gently pops the bands off their pins, one by one.

Corn bread is done when golden on top and the center does not quiver when gently shaken.

Very carefully balance the egg on top of the salt, then gently blow the excess salt away.

Close the eye and apply a warm compress-or try pulling gently on the lid.

Wearing barbecue mitts, remove pan from grill and gently shake asparagus in pan until oil coats bottom and sides of pan evenly.

Snip fruit from the stem with scissors or puners or gently pull by hand.

While glue is still wet, slowly and gently apply print, working from one side of the board to the other.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

gentle (ˈdʒɛnt^əl)

—*adj*
1.	having a mild or kindly nature or character
2.	soft or temperate; mild; moderate: a gentle scolding
3.	gradual: a gentle slope
4.	easily controlled; tame: a gentle horse
5.	archaic of good breeding; noble: gentle blood
6.	archaic gallant; chivalrous

—vb
7.	to tame or subdue (a horse)
8.	to appease or mollify
9.	obsolete to ennoble or dignify

—n
10.	a maggot, esp when used as bait in fishing
11.	archaic a person who is of good breeding

[C13: from Old French gentil noble, from Latin gentīlis belonging to the same family; see gens]

'gently

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

gentle

early 13c., from O.Fr. gentil "high-born, noble," from L. gentilis "of the same family or clan," from gens (gen. gentis) "race, clan," from root of gignere "beget" (see kin), from PIE base *gen- "produce." Sense of "gracious, kind" (now obsolete) first recorded late 13c.; that

EXPAND

of "mild, tender" is 1550s. Older sense remains in gentleman "well-born man" (late 13c.). Gentleman's agreement is first attested 1929.

COLLAPSE

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