GENTILITY Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

gentility

noun

jen-ˈti-lə-tē

Definition of gentility

as in manners

speech or behavior that is a sign of good breeding was full of the same gentility and grace that marked the rest of the family

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in nobility

the highest class in a society as members of the gentility, they felt an obligation to help the less fortunate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 his natural gentility is tough to dress down. — Naveen Kumar, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026 But for many Southerners, the changing accent represents the conflict between progress and tradition, between growing demographic and economic power, and the gauzy gentility and family-centric nature of the traditional American South. — Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Mar. 2026 But the glory and gentility that had been the Pontchartrain was gone. — Rick Bragg, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026 In modernizing and Americanizing the Charles Dickens novel, Alfonso Cuarón expunged many of Great Expectations’s subplots in favor of a 1998-friendly romantic drama that cemented Paltrow as an emblem of gentility. — Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gentility

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gentility

Noun

These rules span what Americans would sort into law, ethics, manners and worship, as law professor and an authority on Islamic law Asifa Quraishi-Landes has explained.

— Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026
Many teach-abroad programs where people can teach English as a foreign language in Thailand cite that smiling often with children and colleagues is key to showing respect, good manners and calmness.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of manners

Noun

Legal recognition of the country’s nobility stopped in 1946 and for aristocrats such as Princess Giacinta Ruspoli, upkeep of the family’s ancestral homes doesn’t come cheap.

— Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Thomas Jefferson is believed to have loved these wines and today they are enjoyed by Italian nobility and discerning wine lovers the world over.

— Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of nobility

Noun

Yet Lee shows that the iron sense of control with which Brookner approached her own legacy runs through her fiction, too, creating the austere elegance that characterizes her prose.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
Certainly not Polo Ralph Lauren, whose new Polo Blaze collection brings the elegance of the stables to city streets.

— Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of elegance

Noun

There’s a luminous series of royal blue engravings presented with ornate flourishes, recalling styles favored by the French aristocracy.

— Elisa Turner, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
Antón Martín neighborhood, Golden Mile Apartment Madrid’s Salamanca district, where this home is located, was designed in the 19th century as a residential area for aristocracy and the like.

— Katie Silcox, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of aristocracy

Noun

In World Cup lore, however, his gallantry is doomed to be overshadowed by that of his fellow-goalkeeper from Cabo Verde, Vozinha, who had already produced an uncanny impersonation of a brick wall on the fourth day of the tournament.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
In all of these cases, the effect is largely the same—forging intimacy through some level of generosity or gallantry, coupled with pure, physical proximity—and in 2026, all of them are still technically possible.

— Sara Delgado, Vogue, 9 July 2026

Definition of gallantry

Noun

When it was closed down in 1539, its treasures, books and relics were seized and its lands and buildings sold off, some to local nobles and gentry, some to the town authorities of Bury.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of gentry

Noun

Or is that simply naivete borne of the American myth that our candidates’ attentiveness extends beyond the ballot box and endures long after Election Day?

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Next-level attentiveness from friendly staff certainly helps.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of attentiveness

Browse Nearby Words

gentilesse

gentility

gentle

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Cite this Entry

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“Gentility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gentility. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of gentility

noun

Example Sentences

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