01 a. Well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though not noble.
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1.
Well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though not noble.“British society is divided into nobility, gentry, and yeomanry, and families are either noble, gentle, or simple.” — Johnson's Cyc.“The studies wherein our noble and gentle youth ought to bestow their time.” — Milton.
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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.
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3.
A compellative of respect, consideration, or conciliation; as, gentle reader.
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4.
Not wild, turbulent, or refractory; quiet and docile; tame; peaceable; as, a gentle horse.
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5.
Soft; not violent or rough; not strong, loud, or disturbing; easy; soothing; pacific; as, a gentle touch; a gentle gallop .“O sleep! it is a gentle thing.” — Coleridge.
Phrases & compounds
The gentle craft —
the art or trade of shoemaking.
Syn.
Mild; meek; placid; dovelike; quiet; peaceful; pacific; bland; soft; tame; tractable; docile.
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.