1
as in polite
following the established traditions of refined society and good taste
those bygone days when young women were taught how to drink tea while wearing long gloves and other genteel ways of behaving
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in civilized
having or showing a taste for the fine arts and gracious living
she grew up in genteel old Savannah
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3
as in aristocratic
of high birth, rank, or station
the genteel ladies never mixed with the servants prohibited by reason of her genteel birth from marrying the man she loved
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4
as in gracious
showing consideration, courtesy, and good manners
his genteel gesture of holding the door for the ladies
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of genteel
On April 7th, as a cold rain fell on Washington, a couple of hundred people gathered in a hotel ballroom near Dupont Circle, in a spirit of genteel resistance.
—
Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Savannah isn’t known for flashy, multimillion-dollar properties; rather, the genteel Georgia city is dotted with elegant homes filled with history and character.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 1 May 2025
This spring, however, that genteel exterior is concealing a quietly competitive market underneath.
—John Walkup, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Be Courtesy To Other Shoppers To a Southerner, manners are top of mind, so pushing, shoving, and being rude over buying things doesn’t jive with a genteel way of life.
—Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genteel
Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Savannah isn’t known for flashy, multimillion-dollar properties; rather, the genteel Georgia city is dotted with elegant homes filled with history and character.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 1 May 2025
This spring, however, that genteel exterior is concealing a quietly competitive market underneath.
—John Walkup, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Be Courtesy To Other Shoppers To a Southerner, manners are top of mind, so pushing, shoving, and being rude over buying things doesn’t jive with a genteel way of life.
—Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genteel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for genteel
Adjective
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Anne Hathaway’s Lureen, all rodeo sparkle and small-town ambition, is Jack’s half-hearted refuge; her final scene is a master class in polite denial, her eyes steel behind a frosty Texas drawl.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
27 June 2025
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Fittingly, a green laser shined out into the crowd as attendees turned from polite listeners to a rowdy mosh pit, singing every word.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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In Families Like Ours, the slowly rising North Sea forces Denmark to follow Holland’s example and—in an orderly and civilized manner—evacuate the entire country.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
21 June 2025
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In civilized countries, law enforcement officers wear nametags and numbered badges.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
8 June 2025
Adjective
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While Nancy Mitford’s life was all aristocratic escapades splashed across the gossip pages, Bessie Carter has a penchant for German techno and British electronic-music festivals, comfy T-shirts on her days off, and a nebulizer for her vocal cords.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
18 June 2025
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Related Articles Fresh off designing the priest’s robes for the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, the designer with aristocratic roots took another deep dive into the history of France.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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For some science, the discoveries will be limited by whatever the sky is gracious enough to give—a star must explode for the Rubin Observatory to spot a new supernova, for example.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
1 July 2025
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Miss Manners is certain that your heartfelt gratitude, in the form of a gracious and appreciative handwritten letter, will be thanks enough.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Eggs themselves are not a source of collagen—but the egg white specifically contains proline and glycine, two essential amino acids for proper collagen production.—
Alessandra Signorelli,
Vogue,
1 July 2025
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The potential disasters of treating art like traditional investments far outweigh the cost of proper planning.—
Matthew F. Erskine,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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New money families fought for their place at the table with old money institutions by throwing undeniably elegant balls (with the proper soup) and funding irresistibly cultured opera houses (with the proper spectators).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 June 2025
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Goldwyn continued to crave the skills of savvy, street-smart writers like Hellman, the kind of intellect who might elevate an industry many cultured people still looked down their nose at.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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And the noble cause that unites us requires no less.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
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At first glance, servant leadership sounds both noble and compelling.—
Julia Korn,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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When her husband arrived, the interaction was anything but civil.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
4 July 2025
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Records have shown that a large share of those currently in detention do not have a criminal record, but civil immigration offenses instead.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Genteel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/genteel. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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