adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a gentle curve (= one that turns gradually in another direction )
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the river's gentle curves
a gentle reminder
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It was meant to be a gentle reminder rather than a criticism.
a gentle slope (= not steep )
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We went down a long gentle slope.
a gentle/light/soft tap
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There was a gentle tap on the door.
a gentle/soft/mild breeze
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It was a beautiful day with a blue sky and a gentle breeze.
a gentle/tender kiss
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She could still feel that last tender kiss.
a slight/gentle/wide bend (= that changes direction slightly or gradually )
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Ahead of us there was a wide bend in the river.
a subtle/gentle hint (= one that is not very easy to understand – sometimes used ironically when someone is being very obvious )
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I'm sick of her subtle hints that I'm not welcome here.
gentle humour (= jokes or stories that do not offend anyone )
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The plays uses gentle humor to make a strong point.
gentle persuasion
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After a little gentle persuasion , Debbie agreed to let us in.
gentle/light/moderate exercise (= not involving too much physical effort )
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Try to do some gentle exercise as part of your daily routine.
light/gentle (= not strong )
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Winds tomorrow will be light.
rolling/gentle hills (= hills with slopes that are not steep )
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He loved the green rolling hills of Dorset.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
as
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His eyes were big and brown and as gentle as a baby's.
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Rather it is essential to face in and front point of the ice, even on slopes as gentle as 30 degrees.
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He may be as tough as a dinosaur, but he's as gentle as a lamb.
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Walking and swimming are activities which can be as gentle or as vigorous as you care to make them.
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It's ridiculous for owners of these dangerous beasts to claim they are as gentle as lambs.
more
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I think it's a healthier, more gentle decade.
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Bruno also benefited from the floor time and began being more gentle and involved in his relationship with Hannah.
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Perhaps Guildford schoolboys are more gentle than the rest.
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Morning sun is more gentle than afternoon sun.
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Peel-off masks are more gentle but less cleansing than clay.
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Switch to a non-soap - a more gentle , rinse-off, creamy cleanser.
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If only the nurses were less ... were a little more gentle .
most
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He was a most gentle person and yet he could appear implacable.
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Beekeepers can cull out defensive colonies, fortunately, and select only the most gentle characteristics.
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He was old, infirm, and the most gentle man she had ever met.
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During the hearings political protests, as such, were most gentle: one patriot inquiring after the patriotism of another.
so
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That day in the garden ... you were so innocent, so gentle , so untouched by war and betrayal.
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She looks so gentle , so much at peace.
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The soft yellow light which looks so gentle to you but which sears my guts.
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But Mr Berzins seems so gentle and appreciative.
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He held her close, smoothing back her hair, his big hands so gentle .
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So young, so tender, so gentle , so virile.
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He was pleased to see her so gentle for once, and she was singing him to sleep.
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Generally speaking, the machine system of section-making is so gentle that only very difficult lithologies and loose sediments will need impregnation.
very
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Easily Accessible: The surrounding countryside is very gentle and peaceful.
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They were big and very gentle .
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A family man, very gentle .
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As the story was told I was very gentle and self-effacing, and she was out to damage every-thing that she could.
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The walking here is very gentle .
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He was very nice and very gentle .
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To enable waves to break some distance offshore it is necessary that the offshore profile should possess a very gentle gradient.
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Just that she was a very simple, ordinary girl. Very gentle , full of fun.
■ NOUN
breeze
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Uncertain which way to go, Benny gradually became aware of a gentle breeze blowing from the right.
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You should send a strong wind over the rivers, and a gentle breeze upon the orchards.
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Recent bootprints were marked in the thin coating of green sandy soil that had been blown by gentle breezes over the buildings.
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A gentle breeze blew through the windows, lightly rustling the curtains.
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A soft June morning with a blue sky and a gentle breeze .
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A gentle breeze blows out of the west.
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Crickets were singing loudly up here, and a gentle breeze stirred the leaves of the cypresses.
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Hear the birds and cicadas, listen for the gentle breeze rustling the leaves.
curve
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The cures include starting the clubhead back low to the turf on a gentle curve .
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Long gentle curves as the asphalt clefts the wilderness.
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It was a two-storey white house nestling just within the last gentle curve up to the headland.
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The clubhead must start on a gentle curve low to the turf. 4.
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They were placed in a gentle curve , about twenty traps in all, facing the outgoing tide.
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Cut away and down behind the bud in a gentle curve .
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Even such gentle curves require impressive magnets.
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The gentle curve of her body was like a piece of rock smoothed by the sea.
exercise
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Very gentle exercise is, on the other hand, an excellent way of waking up.
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A friend of mine, Audrey Walker, used to come and involve the patients in some gentle exercises .
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I also started a gentle exercise programme.
finger
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He traced the contours of her face with gentle fingers , outlining the curve of her mouth, stroking her temples.
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I stooped quickly and laid the back of a gentle finger against one of the eggs.
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She turns away and lays a gentle finger on Rainbow's still trembling cheek.
hand
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She tried to raise herself from the settee but gentle hands restrained her.
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But what was it that Saint-Mames held cupped in his gentle hands , locked together at the base of his torso?
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He caressed her sides with gentle hands , gloveman's hands.
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As the flickering tongue scooped inside her shallow navel, so she felt gentle hands squeezing her pliant gourds.
heat
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Boil for 5 minutes on gentle heat then add mushroom - and simmer in a covered saucepan for a further 7 minutes.
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Use the gentler heat if your dryer has variable adjustments.
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Samples can be left in the impregnation chamber overnight before curing under gentle heat .
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Let the butter melt over very gentle heat .
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Return to a gentle heat and stir until the sauce thickens.
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Cook over a gentle heat , stirring until the mixture turns thick. 3.
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Ian left the colour to develop for the maximum time of forty minutes under a gentle heat .
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Add the herring fillets and cook for 2 minutes on both sides over a gentle heat .
hill
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The surrounding area is very beautiful with gentle hills , waterfalls and purple heather.
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It is framed by gentle hills that look down on oak groves that abound with deer, bobcats and golden eagles.
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Greener than anything you've ever known, with gentle hills and blue lakes.
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For a while it looks like the red earth, green vegetation and gentle hills of Sedona.
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Any analogy with climbing a gentle hill breaks down.
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To me they would only ever belong among the gentle hills and quiet, winding lanes of Upper Killington.
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Further evidence of human activity is to be found in the gentle hills which form the northern edge of the Scotscraig valley.
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Most of the town is built on the valley floor, but the east and west sides rise into gentle hills .
man
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A kind man , a gentle man.
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Some of these mourners were devastated by the loss of this gentle man .
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He was a gentle man by nature, but he would suddenly fall into a depression and lose all confidence in himself.
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He was, in every sense, a gentleman and a gentle man .
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He was a gentle man , happily dominated by his competent wife.
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So she had left her native Ireland with a new, gentle man and she was expecting a baby.
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Clean-shaven and with a full head of greying hair, he was known as a gentle man , but nobody crossed him.
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He was old, infirm, and the most gentle man she had ever met.
persuasion
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We believe it will take more than just gentle persuasion to bring an end to over-specification and waste.
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The first victim was packaging buyer,, who agreed, after a little gentle persuasion , to be covered with foam.
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Into Water I believe that to conquer fear of water, gentle persuasion is the best tack.
pressure
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She could still taste his kiss, still feel the firm yet gentle pressure of his lips.
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Too weak to stand, she gave in to the gentle pressure of his hands and sat down.
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Meg tried to get up to see, but with a gentle pressure he pushed her back down.
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Apply gentle pressure to make them appear more extreme.
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The gentle pressure on her lips suddenly wasn't there any more, and she felt bereft.
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A gentle pressure in the small of his back told him that the thruster pack had fired.
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All this suggests that gentle pressure will not work on the press.
slope
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The ponies were growing restless, and she shook the reins and sent them on down the gentle slope towards the house.
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The community typically occurs on peaty soils on gentle slopes or plateaus at higher altitudes.
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In the hummocky terrain of the valley floor the hollows, channels and gentle slopes are occupied by peat.
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Although this is not a beginner's resort, it's easy to escape to the more gentle slopes of Lech.
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On gentle slopes it's easy to place the foot with the sole flat; your bodyweight will then secure the points.
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It looked perfect - gentle slopes within a semi circular bowl of hills.
smile
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The man smiled a wry but gentle smile and beckoned me in.
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She answered all my questions with a gentle smile and an air of long-suffering patience.
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Thinking about it and its possible implications, he drifted into a fitful doze, a gentle smile on his face.
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A gentle smile spread over her face, unnoticed beneath her mask.
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I felt a little stupid but at least it elicited a gentle smile .
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It had been a present from the colonel - to keep her company, he'd insisted with his gentle smile .
stroll
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A gentle stroll through the gardens led down to the beautiful long, wide beach.
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The weather, being much better than expected, allowed us to take a gentle stroll and some light refreshment.
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The area offers superb walks ranging from gentle strolls to full day hikes.
touch
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A gentle touch on her cheek, then her arm.
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Presently it felt the gentle touch of radiations, trying to probe its secrets.
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And a gentle touch for the gentle dead.
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He had a gentle touch , a musician's touch.
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Sensitive skins need the gentle touch - Moistura fragrance Free products from Cyclax provide the perfect solution.
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Pray that they would know the gentle touch of our Lord in their lives in the coming days.
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They used the gentle touch to minimise the pressure on the 25-year-old woman following her horrific experience.
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The door opened again, this time with a gentle touch , and the young Sri Lankan maid came in.
voice
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A gentle voice behind him said Easy, Joe, and he spun around in terror and surprise.
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The plums are so bitter by themselves, Mrs Sano tells us in her gentle voice , that they are almost inedible.
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I opened it and there he was, a tall, slightly stooping figure who spoke with a gentle voice .
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From out of the terrible confusion came a different voice , a gentle voice, a voice that understood.
walk
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Just outside Dundee there are several country parks ideal for gentle walks .
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She took gentle walks each day.
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Gorleston, on the southern outskirts of town, offers a gentle walk and a pleasing test.
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Easily Accessible: There are several gentle walks along the banks of the Teme.
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This no nonsense guide is good for those wanting to go on an interesting selection of gentle walks .
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Next was a gentle walk around the wooded peninsula to take a closer look at Osa Fjord.
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His condition steadily deteriorated and he contented himself with gentle walks near his home.
way
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Eve had made short work of anyone who took advantage of Benny's gentle ways .
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These don't have to be permanent measures, just gentle ways of gradually increasing individual confidence.
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She had the same tall grace and was equally good looking in a gentler way with great soulful eyes.
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Also you have Russell's gentle ways .
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Perhaps a gentler way would be to introduce a system of rationing fuel.
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Part-time jobs are a gentle way into a new job area, without too much commitment. 2.
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Uncomfortably Auguste was made aware in the gentlest way that he was indeed a suspect at this early stage.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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a sweet, gentle girl who wouldn't hurt a fly
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Her voice is gentle and warm.
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Mia's such a gentle person.
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My father was a professional boxer, but at home with the family he was always quiet and gentle .
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She lay on the beach enjoying the gentle breeze.
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the gentle warmth of the fire
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The program contains nine gentle exercise routines set to music.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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It is also occasionally found growing in small colonies in shallower parts of lakes with gentle water turbulence.
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Oh, Lee, you're the gentlest person I know.
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On a sunny afternoon we explored the gentler scenery near Henley and Oxford.
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She looks so gentle , so much at peace.
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The gentle and yet rapid response that one achieves has to be experienced to be understood.