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gentillesse

kindness

noun zhahn-tee-YES Rare

Usage Note

Gentillesse is the quality of being gentil ('kind, nice'). It is uncountable in most contexts, but une gentillesse can mean a kind act or gesture. The phrase par gentillesse means 'out of kindness.' It is warmer and more personal than amabilité, which has a more formal or professional connotation.

Examples

"Il l'a aidée par pure gentillesse."

Natural Translation

He helped her out of pure kindness.

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