gentle

After a pianissimo, ambient rumble combined with a brisk layer of tapping, both produced inside the piano, a gentle, melancholy theme is played on the keyboard, repeating and gradually expanding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Everett added that he wants to teach him that strength and being gentle “are not opposites.”

From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026

"Three or four years ago, due to illness, I thought that I may not ever have a gentle walk around a park again," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Rob Reiner’s career began on television, and after leaving “All in the Family” he continued to perform, transforming tonally into a sort of gentle Jewish Buddha onscreen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

It made a gentle tinkling sound, way better than the harsh, painful scream of Janie’s electric school-bell system, which Bat had heard last year during a school play he’d gone to watch.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

For example, perhaps increased closeness to parents facilitated by smartphones or gentler parenting styles leads young adults in their 20s and early 30s to be more comfortable living with their folks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

If ever there were a chance for Djokovic to survive a slightly gentler draw without having to beat both of the monsters who currently rule men’s tennis, it would look a lot like this.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

But she acknowledges that her distinct approach — kinder, gentler, more tearful — is rooted in her particular skill set: “It’s similar to how I responded to being led in kitchens,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

"I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people's bodies, no matter what."

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Her voice went a tone lower and was gentler than before, but for some reason Miss Briggs backed away.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

"He was the gentlest soul who was the first to be there for all of his friends and family."

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

Best For: VPN newbies who want the gentlest introduction possible, or anyone who needs quick privacy protection for specific tasks.

From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026

The assortment of fried, smothered, pickled or barbecued options guide your steps into the gentlest of food comas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2024

“You have the gentlest voice,” Sonia tells him.

From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2023

For Tuck’s head tilted to one side, his eyes went soft, and the gentlest smile in the world displaced the melancholy creases of his cheeks.

From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit

Coconut milk gentles the green-chile heat in the thick, creamy sauce.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 10, 2017

Mallory Ortberg: That’s all for this week, gentles.

From Slate ● Nov. 29, 2016

Saturday's conditions at Whistling Straits led to outstanding scores, as gentles breezes off Lake Michigan, combined with greens that Phil Mickelson described as "pristine, beautiful, large and receptive," produced a festival of birdies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2015

Beside a shallow pool at the ring's center, a young woman gentles a skittery gray horse, their reflections glimmering on the water's turquoise surface.

From Time Magazine Archive

Queen of Beauty yet unknown, Lords, Knights and Esquires, Fair Dames and gentles all!

From The Valiants of Virginia by Hallie Erminie Rives

It seems somehow like he’s gentled us into it with benevolent trickery — as if he’d said, “Look! Over there,” and while we were distracted ripped a Band-Aid off our skin.

From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2022

On the phone from Britain, Wainwright speaks in quick, declarative sentences, gentled a bit by her Yorkshire accent with its long A’s, round O’s and forgiving consonants, but still quite direct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2019

The subjects of her essays have gentled somewhat, without any loss of acuity or elegance: the joys of being a grandmother, discovering the ukulele, the burly screen presence of Russell Crowe.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 30, 2017

After nearly 20 years as a gallery destination, and despite a spate of sleek new apartment buildings, it is still nothing but art, and it still feels surprisingly raw — gentrified but not especially gentled.

From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2011

And it was I who gentled thee, I was the one who drew the thread That seeled thy eyelids.

From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz

The material doesn’t want sophisticated adults mucking about in it or, worse, gentling its hard edges for commercial consumption.

From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024

Like a grade-school teacher, the matrix provides a physical framework that supports and organizes the cells, gentling and channeling them to harmoniously create a functional tissue.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2024

These handling and gentling exercises will essentially be like playing doctor with your puppy.

From Fox News ● Mar. 23, 2022

This gentling spares many vulnerable kids years of suffering.

From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2013

“Lie still,” Miss Maggie scolded, hurrying to the bed and gentling him back against the pillow.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk