gentil
/ʒɑ̃.ti/masculine
The French word for gentile is gentil.
As a noun, gentil refers to a gentile (a non-Jewish person) or can be used to mean a gentleman. It also functions as an adjective to describe someone who is non-Jewish.
Meaning: non-Jewish person (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the terms bienveillant or bienveillante might be used to describe someone who is kind-hearted.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form is gentille, and the masculine plural form is gentils.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʒɑ̃.ti/. The word has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- In many French-speaking contexts, if you use the adjective gentil to describe a man, you might accidentally imply he is 'naive' or 'easily fooled' rather than just 'kind'.
- The word's ancestor, the Latin 'gēns', originally referred to a 'clan' or 'tribe' rather than a person's character or religion.
- In historical French, gentil was used to describe people of noble birth or high social standing, rather than their religion.
Examples in context
- Tom est un gentil.Tom is a gentile.This sentence uses gentil to demonstrate how to identify someone as a gentile.Tatoeba #13572436 by rul, translation #13571655 by rul
- Ces hommes sont gentils.These men are kind.
- Ces femmes sont gentilles.These women are kind.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are discussing their neighbors.
- NathanEst-ce que ton voisin est juif ?Is your neighbor Jewish?
- ChloéNon, c'est un gentil.No, he is a gentile.
- NathanIl connaît les traditions ?Does he know the traditions?
- ChloéOui, il est très ouvert.Yes, he is very open.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gentile” translations and entries gentil, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gentil, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
