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Gentle vs Relieve - What's the difference?

gentle | relieve |

As verbs the difference between gentle and relieve

is that gentle is to become gentle while relieve is to ease (a person, person's thoughts etc) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.

As an adjective gentle

is tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.

As a noun gentle

is (archaic) a person of high birth.

gentle

English

Adjective

(er)
  • Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.
  • Soft and mild rather than hard or severe.
  • *{{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham)
  • , title=(The China Governess) , chapter=3 citation , passage=Here the stripped panelling was warmly gold and the pictures, mostly of the English school, were mellow and gentle in the afternoon light.}}
  • Docile and easily managed.
  • a gentle horse
  • Gradual rather than steep or sudden.
  • Polite and respectful rather than rude.
  • (archaic) Well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though not noble.
  • * Johnson's Cyc.
  • British society is divided into nobility, gentry, and yeomanry, and families are either noble, gentle , or simple.
  • * Milton
  • the studies wherein our noble and gentle youth ought to bestow their time

    Synonyms

    * (polite) friendly, kind, polite, respectful

    Antonyms

    * (polite) rude

    Derived terms

    * gentle craft * gentleness * gentleman * gentlewoman * gently

    Verb

    (gentl)
  • to become gentle (rfex)
  • to ennoble (rfex)
  • (animal husbandry) to break; to tame; to domesticate (rfex)
  • To soothe; to calm. (rfex)
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic) A person of high birth.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Gentles , methinks you frown.
  • (archaic) A maggot used as bait by anglers (rfex)
  • A trained falcon, or falcon-gentil.
  • relieve

    English

    Verb

    (reliev)
  • To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better.}}
  • To ease (someone, a part of the body etc.) or give relief from physical pain or discomfort.
  • To alleviate (pain, distress, mental discomfort etc.).
  • To provide comfort or assistance to (someone in need, especially in poverty).
  • (obsolete) To lift up; to raise again.
  • (legal) To free (someone) from debt or legal obligations; to give legal relief to.
  • This shall not relieve either Party of any obligations.
  • To bring military help to (a besieged town); to lift the seige on.
  • To release (someone) from or of a difficulty, unwanted task, responsibility etc.
  • (military, job) To free (someone) from their post, task etc. by taking their place.
  • * 1819 , (Lord Byron), , III.76:
  • The henna should be deeply dyed to make / The skin relieved appear more fairly fair [...].
  • * 1927 , (Countee Cullen), From the Dark Tower :
  • The night whose sable breast relieves the stark / White stars is no less lovely being dark
  • (reflexive) To go to the toilet; to defecate or urinate.
  • Synonyms

    * (l)

    Derived terms

    * relieve oneself