gently
/ˈdʒɛntli/
adverb
Common
1.adv.in a gradual manner
“a gently sloping terrain”
2.adv.in a gentle manner
“he talked gently to the injured animal”
3.adv.with little weight or force
“she kissed him lightly on the forehead”
Loading page
gently and gentry differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. gently means “in a gradual manner”. gentry means “the most powerful members of a society”. gently is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈdʒɛntli/
1.adv.in a gradual manner
“a gently sloping terrain”
2.adv.in a gentle manner
“he talked gently to the injured animal”
3.adv.with little weight or force
“she kissed him lightly on the forehead”
/ˈdʒɛntɹi/
1.n.the most powerful members of a society
| gently | gentry | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒɛntli/ | /ˈdʒɛntɹi/ |
| Said | JENT-lee | JEN-tree |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | adverb | noun |
| Senses | 3 | 1 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | none recorded | aristocracy |
Full entry for gently · Full entry for gentry · More comparisons