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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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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as in attentiveness
speech or behavior that is a sign of good breeding
the young man displays the kind of old-school genteelness that one rarely encounters on today's college campuses
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of 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
Adjective
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for genteel
Adjective
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Padilla ordinarily is a very polite guy, extraordinary civil — calm, soft-spoken, the opposite of an aggressive loudmouth.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
-
Gentle readers often ask Miss Manners how to respond to questions put to them for which there does not appear to be any polite answer.—
Judith Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Iran has been stringing along international watchdogs and civilized nations for years regarding its nuclear program.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
18 June 2025
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The whole world, the United States, and Europe must finally respond as a civilized society responds to terrorists.—
Isabel van Brugen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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To their credit, the Heat have been gracious in their credit to the Panthers.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
20 June 2025
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The food was unfussy and full-flavored, the service gracious, and the staff — from the spa therapists to the bakers — seemed genuinely happy to be here.—
Rooksana Hossenally,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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Hollywood studios and craftspeople may be busy agonizing over the proper role of AI’s potential within the film industry, but Chinese studios aren’t slowing down.—
Mathew Scott,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
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Most interesting is Cane’s prim and proper wife, Peyton (Danielle Campbell).—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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The process is longest for tuberculosis, which requires samples to be cultured, grown naturally on special plates covered with nutrients, before they can be tested.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2025
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His style is based on a unique blend of physicality and cultured in-possession play.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
17 May 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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The instinct behind this trend—to broaden one’s circle of concern—was noble.—
David Litt,
Time,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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The actor reached a civil settlement with the city of Chicago earlier this year.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
23 June 2025
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Still, even if Abrego Garcia is to be released, ICE will arrest and detain him immediately via civil immigration process, separately from the criminal case.—
Greg Wehner , Bill Mears,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Genteel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/genteel. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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