How to Use gentle in a Sentence

gentle

1 of 2 adjective
  • I heard a gentle knock at the door.
  • The job requires a gentle touch.
  • The cold snap was a gentle reminder that winter was coming.
  • Your mother has a gentle manner.
  • It's a delicate problem that requires gentle handling.
  • Bring to a gentle boil, then add the clams.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Start a gentle bounce through the heels.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Be gentle, and don't over-feed the soil.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 13 Jan. 2026
  • To look for root rot, give the plant a gentle tug.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Mark is such a gentle spirit and a very kind man.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Wash your lid with warm water and a gentle dish soap.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Give each of them a gentle pull to remove them.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Just be gentle with your grip, as the tool gets quite close to the lash line.
    — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Use a gentle shower, not a hard jet.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 June 2026
  • This wasn’t a gentle nudge into the next phase of life.
    — Mark Glende, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026
  • In fact, that gentler approach is kind of the point.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 25 Mar. 2026
  • My mom was not a gentle parent.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2026
  • The showers will bring more of a gentle light rain to the area.
    — Steven Sosna, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
  • First, clean the area with gentle soap and warm water.
    — Carrie Madormo, Health, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Once again, be gentle with yourself and your hair.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Her blonde hair fell in gentle waves from a subtle side part.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Mashal was tall and stocky, with a gentle, pensive face.
    — Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Be gentle, and harvest with a slight twist, or snip them off.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 13 Jan. 2026
  • And don’t forget a gentle, no-snag hair tie.
    — Natalie Cantell, InStyle, 15 June 2026
  • At home, his gentle nature came out.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026
  • There have been gentle nudges over the years, so this was a big moment.
    — Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 2 Dec. 2023
  • Use a grease-cutting, gentle dish soap.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Add a pinch of cayenne for a gentle kick that warms you up from the inside out.
    — Lauren Manaker, SELF, 17 Feb. 2026
  • The gags are ridiculous, if gentle.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
  • How gentle Joyce has been with her since Stephen died.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025

gentle

2 of 2 verb
  • Lisiecki gentled his way through a Brahms waltz for an encore.
    — Steven Winn, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Rand greets them with trepidation, pulling his sword out for fear Moiraine will gentle his friend.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 10 Dec. 2021
  • He would've been gentled by the Seanchan and killed by Ishamael (Fares Fares).
    — Christian Holub, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Fawcett said the mustangs can be gentled into outstanding pleasure riding horses.
    — Lynne Terry, OregonLive.com, 7 Jan. 2018
  • In this six-week program, veterans have the opportunity to gentle wild mustangs.
    — Sheila Vilvens, Cincinnati.com, 22 Feb. 2018
  • While a traditional blow dryer pushes air out and causes frizz, a diffuser will just gentle dry hair without any friction.
    — Tatjana Freund, ELLE, 28 July 2022
  • The material doesn’t want sophisticated adults mucking about in it or, worse, gentling its hard edges for commercial consumption.
    — Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
  • From ethereal blues to gentle yellows to feminine pink hues, the spring/summer 2021 runways are leaning into the power of color theory.
    — Sara Holzman, Marie Claire, 13 Apr. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gentle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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