gently
advUS [ˈd͡ʒɛ̃ɾ̃li] · /ˈd͡ʒɛntli/
Etymology From Middle English gentilly, gentlych, gentilliche, equivalent to gentle + -ly, with *-lely simplified to -ly by haplology.
› In a manner characterized by gentleness
1
Without strong force or quickness: softly, lightly.
- First, marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk the kecap manis, chilli sauce, and sesame oil together. Cut the tofu into strips about 1cm thick, mix gently (so it doesn't break) with the marinade and leave in the fridge for half an hour.2012 May 8, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, Random House, →ISBN, page 79:
- The plane is travelling impossibly slowly – 30km an hour – when it gently noses up and leaves the ground. With air beneath them, the rangy wings seem to gain strength; the fuselage that on the ground seemed flimsy becomes elegant, like a crane vaunting in flight. It seems not to fly, though, so much as float.2013 September 6, Tom Cheshire, “Solar-powered travel”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 13, archived from the original on 11 Apr 2023, page 34:
2
In a gentle manner; to a gentle degree.
- From Blackwater there is a more or less level run through gently rolling farmlands and downs to Merstone, with its island platform and passing loop.1946 July and August, K. Westcott Jones, “Isle of Wight Central Railway—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 243:
3
Quietly: without much noise or motion.
- I look at the world, and I notice it's turning / While my guitar gently weeps / With every mistake, we must surely be learning / Still my guitar gently weeps1968, George Harrison, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, performed by The Beatles:
4
Historical From a gentle or high-class family.
- gently born
5
Obsolete In the manner of one of gentle birth; in a manner that reflects the traditional virtues of the gentry: courteously, nobly.
- Antonyms
- roughly
- Derived terms
- fuck me gently with a chainsaw, let someone down gently