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Glite Dictionary
gentle stroke

gentle stroke

3.1
A soft light touch to comfort a person or animal
  • noun
translation icon : caricia suave
  • The therapist used gentle strokes on the patient's back to help them relax.
  • hair with gentle strokes
  • long, gentle strokes

Examples

  • Aunt Hattie sat very still while Maisey gently brushed her hair with long, gentle strokes.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Make gentle strokes on each side of the mouth, including your tongue.

    Blog text (7)

  • She brushed my hair with slow, gentle strokes.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Her mother's hand stroked her hair—slow, gentle strokes, over and over, until Rose was lulled to the brink of sleep.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • She calmed the baby with gentle strokes on his cheek, soothing him to sleep.

  • After the long day, he sat in the chair, enjoying her gentle strokes through his hair.

Synonyms

stroke
vsgentle stroke
12 2.5

A gentle touch or caress with the hand

focuses on offering comfort and reassurance rather than any gentle hand movement
light touch
vsgentle stroke
4 3.9

A gentle, brief contact made with little force

carries clear comforting and reassuring purpose rather than mere brief contact
soft touch
vsgentle stroke
1 3.7

A gentle way of touching or handling people and objects

is specifically a soft physical action aimed to comfort and reassure someone
arm pat
vsgentle stroke
1.8

A gentle touch on the arm to show comfort or support

is a more general soft, light contact meant to comfort rather than specific placement

Antonyms

rough
164 1.0

Not smooth and often harsh in sound

How Gentle

to caress
55 3.4
gentle stroke
3.1
to touch
∞ 1.0
tap
66 1.0

Surface Forms

gentle stroke singular
gentle strokes plural

Morphology

gentle + stroke

Both constituents contribute directly to the meaning: 'gentle' denotes mildness/kindness and 'stroke' denotes a soft caress, so the combined noun phrase straightforwardly means a soft, comforting touch. This is a regular adjective+noun composition found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase gentle stroke comes from the image of someone using a soft stroke with a light, gentle hand to calm another person or an animal. So, it now means 'a soft, light touch made to offer comfort or reassurance'.