genteel

adjective

gen·​teel jen-ˈtēl How to pronounce genteel (audio)
1
a
: 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
2
a
: 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
genteelly adverb
genteelness noun

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Get Fancy With Genteel

The word genteel has some familiar English relatives, including gentle, gentrify, and gentility. All come from the Latin noun gens, used to refer to a group of related people. That word's plural, gentes, was used in Roman times to classify the people of the world, particularly non-Romans. Similarly, the English gentile refers to people who are not Jewish, or who don’t follow other specific religions. Many non-English words come from gens as well, including the Spanish gente, meaning “people.” To say gens has made its mark would be putting it gently.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There are contemporary costumes, hairstyles, props, scenic elements and characters’ line delivery, but central character Blanche DuBois seems to exist, both mentally and physically, in the more genteel South of the 1930s. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2025 His fiction is set all over the place—genteel backwaters like Miami, Hollywood, and Atlantic City, with excursions as far afield as the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Israel. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 Appropriately, the 31-year-old actress speaks with a genteel British accent—something that might surprise those who know her as Jinny St. George, the ambitious, new-money American girl in The Buccaneers, Apple TV+’s Gilded Age drama, which is currently in its second season. Paulina Prosnitz, Air Mail, 28 June 2025 As the three stories become more intertwined, the genteel politeness on display at the start of the film falls away, revealing an unsettling core. Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for genteel

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French gentil literally, "of aristocratic birth," going back to Old French — more at gentle entry 1

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of genteel was in 1601

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Cite this Entry

“Genteel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genteel. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

genteel

adjective
gen·​teel jen-ˈtē(ə)l How to pronounce genteel (audio)
1
: of or relating to the upper classes
2
3
: free from bad manners or bad taste
genteelly adverb
genteelness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on genteel

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