gentle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Celebrated Japanese writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda specializes in gentle, sentimental films about the tiny fissures that form along the foundation of families.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
It offered a series of tips for slowing my breath, soothing my system, using gentle movement and letting myself feel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
On Wednesday, the usual bad-tempered jibes and angry exchanges witnessed in the political theatre of the weekly Prime Minister's Questions, were replaced by gentle ribbing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Natalie was described "a gentle and thoughtful young woman" who enjoyed reading and was "fiercely intelligent".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
It made a gentle tinkling sound, way better than the harsh, painful scream of Janie’s electric school-bell system, which Bat had heard last year during a school play he’d gone to watch.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Astronomers have long suspected that white dwarfs also receive kicks, but the process is much gentler because these stars do not explode.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Colbert’s version is gentler but also the most successful.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
But it’s equally easy to sidestep that scene entirely and disappear into the gentler world of farm stands, lake swims and small-town New England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Not everyone minded some gentler audience participation though.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
Bemused, Renly said, "It would seem the direwolf is gentler than the lion."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
"He was the gentlest soul who was the first to be there for all of his friends and family."
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
Leave it to Kelly Reichardt, who turned Michelle Williams into a seething sculptor with frenemy issues in “Showing Up,” to make the gentlest, most self-deprecating heist movie imaginable.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2025
Folky fingerpicking and new-agey thoughts about self-help make “Deeper Well” one of the gentlest but firmest rebuffs imaginable.
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
“Mal was the nicest, gentlest person,” George Harrison lamented.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2023
But she tried anyway: ‘“And here begins the tale of mistletoe, that most unassuming and gentlest of plants.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Coconut milk gentles the green-chile heat in the thick, creamy sauce.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 10, 2017
Mallory Ortberg: That’s all for this week, gentles.
From Slate ● Nov. 29, 2016
Saturday's conditions at Whistling Straits led to outstanding scores, as gentles breezes off Lake Michigan, combined with greens that Phil Mickelson described as "pristine, beautiful, large and receptive," produced a festival of birdies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2015
Beside a shallow pool at the ring's center, a young woman gentles a skittery gray horse, their reflections glimmering on the water's turquoise surface.
From Time Magazine Archive
These Ladies, ne these gentles ne'ertheless, Where none of those that wroughten in this wise; But such women as weren vertueless They quittin thus these old Clerkis wise.
From Fifteenth Century Prose and Verse by Various
It seems somehow like he’s gentled us into it with benevolent trickery — as if he’d said, “Look! Over there,” and while we were distracted ripped a Band-Aid off our skin.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2022
On the phone from Britain, Wainwright speaks in quick, declarative sentences, gentled a bit by her Yorkshire accent with its long A’s, round O’s and forgiving consonants, but still quite direct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2019
The subjects of her essays have gentled somewhat, without any loss of acuity or elegance: the joys of being a grandmother, discovering the ukulele, the burly screen presence of Russell Crowe.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 30, 2017
After nearly 20 years as a gallery destination, and despite a spate of sleek new apartment buildings, it is still nothing but art, and it still feels surprisingly raw — gentrified but not especially gentled.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2011
Fitzsimmons had gentled plenty of miscreants, but he had no answers for Hard Tack.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
The material doesn’t want sophisticated adults mucking about in it or, worse, gentling its hard edges for commercial consumption.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
Like a grade-school teacher, the matrix provides a physical framework that supports and organizes the cells, gentling and channeling them to harmoniously create a functional tissue.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2024
These handling and gentling exercises will essentially be like playing doctor with your puppy.
From Fox News ● Mar. 23, 2022
This gentling spares many vulnerable kids years of suffering.
From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2013
Her bare hands worked them into the ground, prodding and gentling, as if putting to bed an endless supply of small children.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Vocabulary lists containing gentle
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Beowulf vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Positive Words to Describe People, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
