gentling

verb

Definition of gentlingnext
present participle of gentle
1
as in appeasing
to lessen the anger or agitation of employees soon learned that their hot-tempered boss needed to be gentled several times a day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in caressing
to touch or handle in a tender or loving manner soothingly gentled his cat's head as she was being treated by the vet

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in softening
to lessen the shock of adding a bit of sugar to the salsa will gentle the hot spiciness of the chili peppers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gentling
  1. appeasing
  2. softening
  3. calming
  4. patting
  5. soothing
Verb
  • Other, less politically resistant Iranian films often show women inside in hijab, which is highly unrealistic and likely a mode of appeasing censors.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 27 Nov. 2024
  • For the work, which is often a delicate balance of appeasing stakeholders who sometimes clash over warring priorities, the next CEO will be paid between $350,000 and $425,000 a year, with no-cost health insurance and other benefits, according to the listing.
    Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2024
Definition of appeasing
Verb
  • Avoid items that show signs of changes in food texture, such as softening or ice crystals.
    Merve Ceylan, Health, 10 Dec. 2024
  • For those with rounder faces, a fringe can add interest and elongate the face, and bangs can have a softening effect on those with more angular features.
    Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of softening
Verb
  • Having this special calming box can reduce feelings of stress in a moment that might otherwise become volatile, like separating from a parent.
    Taylor Grothe, Parents, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Mama Tina Knowles served as a calming presence on the carpet for her granddaughter and looked beautiful in a chic pantsuit.
    Dominique Fluker, Essence, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of calming
Verb
  • During games, they have been seen closely communicating, even patting each other on the back and huddling up next to each other.
    Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 30 Nov. 2024
  • The post then featured a clip of Munn patting her baby girl’s stomach before the following slides showed Méi yawning on the couch, being cuddled by her mom and dad John Mulaney and doted on by her big brother, Munn and Mulaney's 2-year-old son Malcolm.
    Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024
Definition of patting
Verb
  • When your shopping is done, the Oriental Spa at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel, Hong Kong, offers soothing therapies and signature treatments such as the Intelligent Movement Treatment, involving trigger-point release work and deep-muscle manipulation.
    Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The soothing ingredient is the main star of their Time Revolution products which include everything from a cleanser to a mist to a sheet mask.
    Anna Haines, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Definition of soothing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near gentling

gentlewomen

gentling

gently

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Gentling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gentling. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...