doux
/du/masculine
The French word for gentle is doux.
doux is used to describe something that is soft and mild rather than hard or severe. Beyond meaning gentle, doux is also the standard French word for describing something as soft in terms of its texture or its sound.
Meaning: soft and mild rather than hard or severe (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, adjectives generally come after the noun they modify. The masculine form is doux, which is also the spelling used for the masculine plural. If you are describing a feminine noun, use the form douce. For feminine plural nouns, use douces.
How do you pronounce it?
/du/
Did you know?
- A doux wine in French refers to a wine with a high sugar content, which is translated into English as 'sweet' rather than 'gentle'.
- doux is inherited from the Latin word dulcem, meaning 'sweet'.
- The feminine form douce is used in the common French expression douce France to describe the country with a sense of nostalgic tenderness.
Examples in context
- Ce cheval est très doux.This horse is very gentle.This sentence shows how to use doux to describe a gentle animal.Tatoeba #11393018 by lbdx, translation #7080966 by Hybrid
- Tom était chaleureux et doux.Tom was warm and gentle.This sentence illustrates using doux to describe a person's temperament.Tatoeba #13338039 by genes1s, translation #10079875 by CK
- Harry est doux avec les chats.Harry is gentle with cats.This sentence demonstrates how to describe someone being gentle with animals.Tatoeba #13119 by michelnialon, translation #35054 by AlanF_US
- Il est douxHe is gentle
- Elle est douceShe is gentle
- Il est gentil avec tout le mondeHe is gentle/kind with everyone
- Elle est gentille et douceShe is gentle and kind
- Elle est sympa et douceShe is gentle and nice
- Un homme douxA gentle man
- Un enfant douxA gentle child
- Il est doux comme un agneau.He is gentle as a lamb.
- Elle a une personnalité gentille et douce.She has a gentle and kind personality.
- Le chaton est câlin et doux.The kitten is gentle and cuddly.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are discussing a new puppy.
- LucasIl est très doux avec moi.He is very gentle with me.
- ManonC'est un chien vraiment calme.He is a really calm dog.
- LucasOui, il est très doux.Yes, he is very gentle.
- ManonTu as de la chance, Lucas.You are lucky, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gentle” translations and entries doux, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries doux, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
