gentle

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdʒɛntl̩/
  Play
• General-American: jĕn′tl
  Play
• General-American: /ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩/
  Play
• General-American: [ˈd͡ʒɛ̃ɾ̃l̩]
  Play
• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play
• rhymes with -ɛntəl
  Play
• CMU ARPABET: JH EH1 N T AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  Play
• CMU ARPABET 2: JH EH1 N AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  Play

From Middle English gentil (“courteous, noble”), from Old French gentil (“high-born, noble”), from Latin gentilis (“of the same family or clan”), from gens (“[Roman] clan”). Doublet of gentile, genteel, and jaunty.

167 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Azerbaijani: zərif — tender and amiable
• Belarusian: высакаро́дны (vysakaródny) — tender and amiable
• Belarusian: ласка́вы (laskávy) — tender and amiable
• Bulgarian: благоро́ден (blagoróden) — tender and amiable
• Bulgarian: любе́зен (ljubézen) — tender and amiable
• Bulgarian: приве́тлив (privétliv) — tender and amiable
• Bulgarian: дружелю́бен (druželjúben) — tender and amiable
• Bulgarian: мил (mil) — tender and amiable
• Chinese Mandarin: 斯文 (sīwén) — tender and amiable
• Czech: něžný — tender and amiable
• Czech: přívětivý — tender and amiable
• Czech: laskavý — tender and amiable
• Dutch: lieflijk — tender and amiable
• Esperanto: milda — tender and amiable
• Finnish: herttainen — tender and amiable
• Finnish: kiltti — tender and amiable
• French: gentil — tender and amiable
• Galician: xentil — tender and amiable
• Georgian: რბილი (rbili) — tender and amiable
• Georgian: ფაქიზი (pakizi) — tender and amiable
• Georgian: ნაზი (nazi) — tender and amiable
• Georgian: სათუთი (satuti) — tender and amiable
• Georgian: მოსიყვარულე (mosiq̇varule) — tender and amiable
• Georgian: მეგობრული (megobruli) — tender and amiable
• Georgian: გულკეთილი (gulḳetili) — tender and amiable
• German: liebenswürdig — tender and amiable
• Gothic: 𐌵𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍂𐌿𐍃 (qairrus) — tender and amiable
• Ancient Greek: ἤπιος (ḗpios) — tender and amiable
• Ancient Greek: πραΰς (praǘs) — tender and amiable
• Ancient Greek: προσηνής (prosēnḗs) — tender and amiable
• Hindi: सज्जन (sajjan) — tender and amiable
• Ingrian: veeno — tender and amiable
• Irish: mín — tender and amiable
• Irish: séimh — tender and amiable
• Italian: gentile — tender and amiable
• Japanese: 優しい (yasashii) — tender and amiable
• Latin: lēnis — tender and amiable
• Māori: ngākau mōwai — tender and amiable
• Māori: hūmārie — tender and amiable
• Norman: bénîn — tender and amiable
• Old English: bilewit — tender and amiable
• Plautdietsch: saunft — tender and amiable
• Polish: łagodny — tender and amiable
• Polish: delikatny — tender and amiable
• Polish: miły — tender and amiable
• Portuguese: gentil — tender and amiable
• Russian: благоро́дный (blagoródnyj) — tender and amiable
• Russian: любе́зный (ljubéznyj) — tender and amiable
• Russian: не́жный (néžnyj) — tender and amiable
• Russian: ла́сковый (láskovyj) — tender and amiable
• Russian: приве́тливый (privétlivyj) — tender and amiable
• Russian: дружелю́бный (druželjúbnyj) — tender and amiable
• Russian: доброду́шный (dobrodúšnyj) — tender and amiable
• Russian: ми́лый (mílyj) — tender and amiable
• Slovak: nežný — tender and amiable
• Slovak: prívetivý — tender and amiable
• Slovak: láskavý — tender and amiable
• Spanish: gentil — tender and amiable
• Spanish: apacible — tender and amiable
• Thai: เป็นกันเอง (bpen-gan-eeng) — tender and amiable
• Thai: ใจดี (jai-dii) — tender and amiable
• Turkish: şefkatli — tender and amiable
• Ukrainian: люб'я́зний (ljubʺjáznyj) — tender and amiable
• Ukrainian: ласка́вий (laskávyj) — tender and amiable
• Ukrainian: благоро́дний (blahoródnyj) — tender and amiable
• Ukrainian: ні́жний (nížnyj) — tender and amiable
• Welsh: tyner — tender and amiable
• Azerbaijani: zərif — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Bulgarian: мек (mek) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Bulgarian: кро́тък (krótǎk) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Finnish: hellävarainen — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Finnish: leuto — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• French: doux — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Georgian: რბილი (rbili) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Georgian: ფაქიზი (pakizi) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• German: einfühlsam — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• German: sanftmütig — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• German: sanft — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Ancient Greek: προσηνής (prosēnḗs) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Ancient Greek: ἥσυχος (hḗsukhos) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Irish: mín — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Irish: séimh — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Latin: lēnis — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Latin: clēmēns — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Macedonian: нежен (nežen) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Māori: māhū — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Māori: kāwatawata — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Māori: momohe — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Māori: māriri — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Māori: mārū — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Plautdietsch: saunft — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Polish: łagodny — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Polish: delikatny — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Portuguese: gentil — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Russian: кро́ткий (krótkij) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Russian: мя́гкий (mjáxkij) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Thai: นุ่มนวล (nûm-nuuan) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Thai: อ่อนโยน (ɔ̀ɔn-yoon) — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Turkish: hoşgörülü — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Turkish: yumuşak başlı — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Vietnamese: nhẹ nhàng — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Welsh: tyner — soft and mild rather than hard or severe
• Belarusian: паслухмя́ны (pasluxmjány) — docile and easily managed
• Bulgarian: послу́шен (poslúšen) — docile and easily managed
• Chinese Mandarin: 斯文 (sīwén) — docile and easily managed
• Finnish: leppoisa — docile and easily managed
• French: docile — docile and easily managed
• Galician: manso — docile and easily managed
• Georgian: გამგონი (gamgoni) — docile and easily managed
• Georgian: დამჯერი (damǯeri) — docile and easily managed
• Georgian: მშვიდი (mšvidi) — docile and easily managed
• Georgian: თვინიერი (tvinieri) — docile and easily managed
• German: einfühlsam — docile and easily managed
• Irish: mín — docile and easily managed
• Russian: послу́шный (poslúšnyj) — docile and easily managed
• Spanish: manso — docile and easily managed
• Spanish: apacible — docile and easily managed
• Thai: ว่าง่าย (wâa-ngâai) — docile and easily managed
• Turkish: anlayışlı — docile and easily managed
• Ukrainian: слухня́ний (sluxnjányj) — docile and easily managed
• Bashkir: һөҙәк (höźək) — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Dutch: geleidelijk — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Finnish: vähittäinen — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Finnish: loiva — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• French: doux — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Georgian: დამრეცი (damreci) — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Georgian: დაქანებული (dakanebuli) — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• German: gemächlich — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• German: sachte — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Malay: landai — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Māori: māhū — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Māori: aungāwari — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Māori: mārū — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Russian: поло́гий (pológij) — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Turkish: tedricî — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Turkish: yavaş yavaş — gradual rather than steep or sudden
• Arabic: مُؤَدَّب (muʔaddab) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Belarusian: ве́тлівы (vjétlivy) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Bulgarian: ве́жлив (véžliv) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Bulgarian: учти́в (učtív) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Chinese Mandarin: 斯文 (sīwén) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Chinese Mandarin: 有禮貌 /有礼貌 (yǒulǐmào) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Chinese Mandarin: 客氣 /客气 (kèqi) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Czech: zdvořilý — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Finnish: ystävällinen — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Georgian: თავაზიანი (tavaziani) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Georgian: რბილი (rbili) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• German: freundlich — polite and respectful rather than rude
• German: liebenswürdig — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Japanese: 丁寧 (teinei) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Korean: 공손하다 (gongsonhada) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Macedonian: учтив (učtiv) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Māori: mōwai — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Māori: hūmārika — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Polish: uprzejmy — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Portuguese: gentil — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Russian: ве́жливый (véžlivyj) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Russian: учти́вый (učtívyj) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Russian: мя́гкий (mjáxkij) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Serbo-Croatian: у̀чтив — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Serbo-Croatian: ùčtiv — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Slovak: zdvorilý — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Spanish: gentil — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Spanish: apacible — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Thai: สุภาพ (sù-pâap) — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Turkish: nazik — polite and respectful rather than rude
• Ukrainian: вві́чливий (vvíčlyvyj) — polite and respectful rather than rude