Definition of gentilitynext
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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of gentility But this was close to the borderline of gentility. Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025 Modesty, gentility, and protocol have no place in the apartment grope. Nicholas Pileggi, Curbed, 15 Aug. 2025 The walk to the hot springs takes about an hour, during which the gentility of the allées gives way to the ruins of bizarre Soviet buildings of immense proportions. Gary Shteyngart, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 July 2025 During his adolescence, the sensibility among the youth was to turn away from the gentility of the race man and toward the existential and the militant. Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for gentility
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gentility
Noun
  • As for your wife’s objection, Miss Manners will point out that good manners need not mean being bulldozed by others.
    Judith Martin, Mercury News, 9 May 2026
  • Church’s combination of talent, affability, and fine manners eased his way into New York’s élite, sometimes inspiring envy among his painter friends.
    Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Noun
  • The Korean nobility of bygone eras simply had better taste.
    Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
  • In particular, popes wanted to select the church’s bishops rather than allowing nobility or a king to do so.
    Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In 2018, timed to the hotel's 25th anniversary, a major $60 million renovation by Didier Lefort, one of Hill’s co-collaborators, brought a fresh, timeless elegance up to the present moment without ever diluting its true attraction—the rainforest.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 May 2026
  • Nia Long exuded timeless elegance for her Met Gala debut, stepping onto the carpet in her signature natural glam.
    Essence, Essence, 6 May 2026
Noun
  • Breyer is married to Joanna Freda Hare, a psychologist and member of the British aristocracy.
    Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The lower classes and the clergy had always hated the Castilians, and the Portuguese aristocracy and the commercial classes—previously content with the patronage and the economic opportunities that the union with Spain had provided—had become dissatisfied during the preceding 20 years.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • During the reception, Princess Kate shared an emotional moment with Tony Gledhill, a former Metropolitan Police officer who received the George Cross for gallantry in 1966.
    Helen Murphy, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
  • In 2020, Magawa received the PDSA Dickin medal for gallantry, which recognizes heroism in animals.
    Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The nobles and gentry—the billionaires of Tudor England—made fortunes from the reclaimed monastery lands and created a myth of Henry’s military strength and English pride.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Parker will play Mary Washington, George’s strong willed mother, while Rodgers will play Sally Cary, the charming beauty of the Virginia gentry who first sees his potential.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The goldendoodle’s shoulder tap felt almost human in its politeness, and the woman’s response — smiling, breaking off a piece and blowing on it — felt effortlessly warm.
    Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
  • When talking to your peers, politeness is of paramount importance.
    Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The variance with accustomed Goodspeed values is apparent from the very first moments, though the opening gambit fails due to an appalling lack of attentiveness from the audience.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
  • As a professor of a notoriously difficult subject, Green said a teaching approach centered on encouragement and attentiveness has been the key to helping her students succeed.
    Claire Wang, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Gentility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gentility. Accessed 14 May. 2026.

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