Meaning & use
gently
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Meanings
adverbnot comparable
In a soft, careful way, using little force so as not to hurt or damage.
Grammar: Goes with an action verb: touch gently, stir gently.
Patterns
- handle something gently
- press gently
She gently placed the baby in the cot.
Stir the sauce gently so it does not burn.
He gently brushed the dust off the old book.
adverbnot comparable
In a kind, mild and calm manner of speaking or behaving.
Grammar: Often with speak, tell or remind.
Patterns
- speak gently
- gently remind someone
The nurse spoke gently to the frightened child.
He gently reminded her about the deadline.
She said gently that she could not come.
adverbnot comparable
At a slow, gradual and slight pace or slope.
Grammar: Used for slopes, movements and weather.
Patterns
- slope gently
- rock gently
The path slopes gently down to the lake.
The boat rocked gently on the waves.
Snow fell gently all evening.
Word forms
| comparative | more gently |
|---|---|
| superlative | most gently |
Common combinations
- gently stir
- Gently stir the mixture until smooth.
- gently tease
- He gently teased his sister about her singing.
- gently rock
- She gently rocked the cradle.
- gently sloping
- The campsite sits on gently sloping ground.
- gently lower
- Gently lower the box to the floor.
- gently but firmly
- He told them gently but firmly to leave.
Synonyms and how they differ
- softly
- Softly often describes sound or touch, while gently suggests care about the effect.
- carefully
- Carefully stresses attention to avoid error or harm, but not necessarily a soft touch.
- tenderly
- Tenderly adds loving feeling to the gentle action.
- mildly
- Mildly describes lack of strength or sharpness, such as in a comment or flavor.
Opposites
Word family
- gentle adjective
- kind and mild, or not rough
- gentleness noun
- the quality of being kind and soft
- gentleman noun
- a polite man
- gentle verb
- to calm an animal by soft handling (rare)
Commonly confused: gently or gentile?
gently vs gentile
Gentile is a noun or adjective for a person who is not Jewish. It is spelled and sounds similar but has no link to gentleness.
Practice
The nurse touched the wound ___ so that it would not hurt.
Choose one answer.
Gently means with little force. Roughly would cause pain, so it does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gently”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.