gently
[ˈd͡ʒɛ̃ɾ̃li] adverb
Forms gentlier gentliest gentilly gentlely
- adverb Without strong force or quickness: softly, lightly.
- adverb In a gentle manner; to a gentle degree.
- adverb Quietly: without much noise or motion.
- adverb (historical) From a gentle or high-class family. “gently born”
- adverb (obsolete) In the manner of one of gentle birth; in a manner that reflects the traditional virtues of the gentry: courteously, nobly.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English gentilly, gentlych, gentilliche, equivalent to gentle + -ly, with *-lely simplified to -ly by haplology.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gently”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details