genteel

adjective

gen·teel | \ jen-ˈtēl

Definition of genteel

1a : having an aristocratic quality or flavor : stylish

b : of or relating to the gentry or upper class a person of genteel upbringing

c : elegant or graceful in manner, appearance, or shape the genteel manners of an old southern gentleman

d : free from vulgarity or rudeness : polite

2a : maintaining or striving to maintain the appearance of superior or middle-class social status or respectability a shabby genteel mansion

b(1) : marked by false delicacy, prudery, or affectation was genteel on the surface, but had a hard heart

(2) : conventionally or insipidly pretty timid and genteel artistic style

Other Words from genteel Synonyms & Antonyms Get Fancy With Genteel More Example Sentences Learn More about genteel

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Get Fancy With Genteel

In Roman times, the Latin noun gens was used to refer to a clan, a group of related people. Its plural gentes was used to designate all the people of the world, particularly non-Romans. An adjective form, gentilis, applied to both senses. Over time, the adjective was borrowed and passed through several languages. It came into Old French as gentil, a word that then meant "high-born" (in modern French it means "nice"); that term was carried over into Anglo-French, where English speakers found and borrowed it in the early 17th century.

Examples of genteel in a Sentence

a person of genteel upbringing She was born into a genteel family. an elderly woman living in genteel poverty speaking in a genteel accent They lived in a more genteel era. the genteel manners of an old southern gentleman

Recent Examples on the Web

Literature itself began to reflect, with an appealing self-consciousness, the image of the genteel reader escaping into her paperback. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "The Invention of the “Beach Read”," 14 June 2019 Contramar is raucous and genteel and warm and glamorous, a pure expression of its chef-owner. — Rob Haskell, Vogue, "What’s Next for Gabriela Cámara? A New L.A. Restaurant—And Foray into Politics," 15 May 2019 Born in Boston on March 23, 1857, Farmer was raised in nearby Medford by genteel but financially struggling parents, John Franklin Farmer, a printer and editor, and Mary Watson Merritt. — Julia Moskin, New York Times, "Overlooked No More: Fannie Farmer, Modern Cookery’s Pioneer," 13 June 2018 As for the dispute in his own neighborhood, Lizza, 91, said the time for genteel debates at city hall is over. — Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Grosse Pointe Shores residents dispute how many houses should fit on 8 acres," 2 Jan. 2018 The feeling of being taken care of, truly taken care of, is at the heart of the salon’s mission, from the genteel attentiveness down to the microscopic health of the hair fibers. — Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, "The Master of French-Girl Hair Opens His First New York Salon," 16 Oct. 2018 Starting with Richard Nixon, every Republican candidate who took the White House employed some form of what had been named, in a deceptively genteel turn of phrase, the Southern Strategy. — Yascha Mounk, The New Yorker, "The Rise of McPolitics," 12 Jan. 2015 While being educated at Brearley, Goodman embraced the 1960s with genteel rebellion. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "Vogue’s Tonne Goodman Retraces 20 Years of Fashion in Her New Book," 15 Mar. 2019 And Reese has given a very genteel, Southern, ladylike middle finger to all of it. — Zoë Ghertner, Vogue, "Reese Witherspoon: Activist, Advocate, Hollywood’s Moral Compass," 10 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genteel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.