What does douce in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word douce in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use douce in French.

The word douce in French means sweetie, sweetie pie, sweetheart, soft, gentle, soft, soft, gentle, gentle, soft, sweet, sweet, pleasant, mild, gentle, kind, soft, gentle, gentle person, gentle soul, sweet almond, low-temperature cooking, woody nightshade, kindly crackpot, soft drug, freshwater, on the side, on the sly, on the quiet, sneakily, renewable energy, take off on the sly, sweet madness, let your hair down, gentle workout, freshwater lake, soft lighting, my sweetness, alternative medicine, spearmint, gentle method, slow down, slope gently upwards, sweet potato, mute pedal, gentle slope, slight slope, freshwater fish, sweet and sour sauce, take it easy, intaglio. To learn more, please see the details below.

Listen to pronunciation

Meaning of the word douce

sweetie, sweetie pie, sweetheart

nom féminin (terme affectif) (informal)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mais bien sûr, ma douce !
Well of course, sweetie!

soft

adjectif (agréable au toucher)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
La soie est un tissu très doux.
Silk is a very soft fabric.

gentle, soft

adjectif (agréable aux sens)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
J'aime ces tons doux.
I love these gentle tones.

soft, gentle

adjectif (non agressif)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
On choisit souvent des couleurs douces pour les chambres. Comme j'ai la peau fragile, j'utilise un savon doux.
People often choose muted colours for bedrooms.

gentle, soft

adjectif (léger)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Une douce brise nous a rafraîchis un peu.
A gentle breeze refreshed us a little.

sweet

adjectif (sucré, suave) (taste)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Le Coteau du Layon est un vin doux.
The Coteau du Layon is a sweet wine.

sweet, pleasant

adjectif (agréable)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Cette soirée nous fut très douce.
That evening was very sweet.

mild

adjectif (température : agréable) (weather)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
L'automne est très doux cette année.
We're having a very mild autumn this year.

gentle, kind

adjectif (bienveillant)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Elle est très douce avec ses enfants.
She is very gentle with her children.

soft

adjectif (pas sévère) (informal)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Trois ans de prison avec sursis est une peine trop douce pour ce crime odieux !
A three-year suspended sentence is too soft a punishment for that heinous crime.

gentle

adjectif (sans coercition)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Je préfère déjà essayer les méthodes douces.
I would prefer to try more gentle methods.

gentle person, gentle soul

(personne douce)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Luc a toujours été un doux.
Luke has always been a gentle person.

sweet almond

nom féminin (amande non amère)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

low-temperature cooking

nom féminin (cuisson à moins de 100°c)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

woody nightshade

nom féminin (botanique : morelle)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La douce-amère était utilisée autrefois comme dépuratif.

kindly crackpot

(passionné)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

soft drug

nom féminin (substance à effets passagers)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le cannabis est considéré comme une drogue douce.

freshwater

nom féminin (eau non salée)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
L'eau des rivières est de l'eau douce.
River water is freshwater.

on the side, on the sly, on the quiet, sneakily

locution adverbiale (familier (discrètement)

Le resquilleur a tenté d'entrer en douce dans la salle de concert.

renewable energy

nom féminin (énergie ne polluant pas la planète)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

take off on the sly

locution verbale (familier (s'éclipser)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Marcel fila en douce pour ne pas payer sa part.

sweet madness

nom féminin (léger trouble mental) (literary)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

let your hair down

nom féminin (figuré (excès bon enfant)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

gentle workout

nom féminin (gymnastique à mouvements doux)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

freshwater lake

nom masculin (étang, réservoir)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les lacs de montagne sont des lacs d'eau douce.

soft lighting

nom féminin (lumière tamisée)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

my sweetness

nom féminin (terme affectueux pour une femme)

alternative medicine

nom féminin (médecine non allopathe)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

spearmint

nom féminin (menthe verte) (herb)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La menthe douce est une plante vivace utilisée pour faire du sirop.

gentle method

nom féminin (méthode non coercitive)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

slow down

locution verbale (se modérer)

(phrasal verb, intransitive: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning and not taking direct object--for example, "make up" [=reconcile]: "After they fought, they made up.")
S'il te plaît, mets la pédale douce ou tu vas finir par faire une crise cardiaque !

slope gently upwards

locution verbale (monter de façon progressive)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")

sweet potato

nom féminin (tubercule tropical comestible) (root vegetable)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Vous me direz ce que vous pensez de cette purée à la patate douce.

mute pedal

nom féminin (sourdine de piano) (piano)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

gentle slope, slight slope

nom féminin (pente très peu prononcée)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

freshwater fish

nom masculin (poisson de lac ou rivière)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La truite est un poisson d'eau douce.

sweet and sour sauce

nom féminin (sauce sucrée-salée) (cookery)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

take it easy

(familier (prendre du bon temps)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

intaglio

nom féminin (taille légère) (Printing)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La production de billets fait appel à quatre techniques d'impression, dont la taille-douce.

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of douce in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.