noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈd͡ʒɛntl̩nəs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:JH EH1 N T AH0 L N AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:JH EH1 N AH0 L N AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The state of being gentle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: douceur, sweetness
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
acting in a manner that is gentle and mild and even-tempered
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
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
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: softness, mildness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: manner, personal manner
3
noun
Meaning 3
the property possessed by a slope that is very gradual
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gradualness
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: gradient, slope
History
Etymology
From Middle English gentilnesse; equivalent to gentle + -ness.
Across languages
Translations
51 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Old Armenian:
զգօնութիւն
(zgōnutʻiwn)
— being gentle
Bulgarian:
благост
(blagost)
— being gentle
Bulgarian:
кротост
(krotost)
— being gentle
Dutch:
minzaamheid
— being gentle
Estonian:
õrnus
— being gentle
Faroese:
góðska
— being gentle
Finnish:
hellävaraisuus
— being gentle
Old French:
dolçor
— being gentle
Friulian:
dolčôr
— being gentle
Georgian:
სირბილე
(sirbile)
— being gentle
Georgian:
სიმშვიდე
(simšvide)
— being gentle
Georgian:
სიწყნარე
(sic̣q̇nare)
— being gentle
Georgian:
სიკეთე
(siḳete)
— being gentle
German:
Sanftmut
— being gentle
Gothic:
𐌵𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍂𐌴𐌹
(qairrei)
— being gentle
Ancient Greek:
πραότης
(praótēs)
— being gentle
Hiligaynon:
kalagday
— being gentle
Hindi:
कोमलता
(komaltā)
— being gentle
Hindi:
सौम्यता
(saumyatā)
— being gentle
Hungarian:
gyengédség
— being gentle
Icelandic:
blíða
— being gentle
Italian:
delicatezza
— being gentle
Italian:
mansuetudine
— being gentle
Italian:
dolcezza
— being gentle
Italian:
garbo
— being gentle
Japanese:
親切
(shinsetsu)
— being gentle
Japanese:
優
(yū)
— being gentle
Korean:
친절
(chinjeol)
— being gentle
Latin:
lēnitās
— being gentle
Latin:
lēnitūdō
— being gentle
Latin:
indulgentia
— being gentle
Latin:
pietās
— being gentle
Latin:
clēmentia
— being gentle
Old Church Slavonic:
щедрота
(štedrota)
— being gentle
