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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 Ed’s monstrous behavior under the influence of cortisone shatters the veneer of middle-class gentility to reveal the fault lines repressed beneath it. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2025 Like Michaels, the band wanted to maintain its nonconformist cred, even though its members were verging on gentility. Jillian Sederholm, EW.com, 18 Feb. 2025 Immediately upon being plucked from the proverbial shadows of the backroom studio, Alessandro Michele astonished with his new Gucci, a house reawakened by an intriguing gentility rich with influences from antiquity to today’s urban culture. Bridget Foley, WWD, 27 Sep. 2024 The star is a tabletop display in the Marble Parlour (once the formal dining room) that was created for the exhibition and, unlike the other sculptures, presents a challenging narrative at odds with the venue’s gentility. Mitchell Owens, Architectural Digest, 2 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for gentility
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gentility
Noun
  • This is not so much a question of good manners as good visibility.
    Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Minding your manners will make the trip better for everyone.
    Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Meanwhile, the Left Bank, or Rive Gauche, lies on the more discreet side with its hôtels particuliers, mansions, and grand townhouses built by French nobility when Louis XIV’s court traded Paris for Versailles.
    Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 26 June 2025
  • Elegant women and dandies rapidly flocked to it, including royalty and nobility such as the Countess of Castiglione, Princess of Metternich, Prince of Wales and Duchess of Berry.
    Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • The second work gives her a chance to show off her flawless double stops, played with elegance.
    Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 11 July 2025
  • Historical Mystery Show: Step into a world of Victorian elegance and deadly secrets when DeBary Hall Historic Site partners with Gateway Center for the Arts to present a Historical Mystery Show.
    Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • A little biographical information: He was born in 1896 into the decaying Bourbon aristocracy.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Republican purists wanted a simple, technical training school that kept the costs low and, more importantly, kept the officer corps from evolving into an aristocracy.
    Ryan Shaw / Made by History, TIME, 24 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The convergence of reason and gallantry, of irony and affection, struck a teasing tone.
    Merve Emre, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
  • Written with filmmaker Matt Yoka, Possession marries the Band’s Americana with T. Rex’s fuzzy glam, anchored by Segall’s always-stellar guitar gallantry.
    Dan Reilly, Vulture, 20 May 2025
Noun
  • This differed from Europe, where land ownership was immobilized by gentry classes who housed and employed farmers.
    Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 June 2025
  • These bodies have historically overwhelmingly catered to a tiny sliver of the population — predominantly white, gentry liberals.
    Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2025
Noun
  • The Common Sense Party leadership wants to elevate a few key concerns: the rule of law, principled bargaining and compromise, and civility in public life.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
  • Cooperation, conversation and civility feel hard to come by for many people in this era of polarization.
    David Plazas, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • The royal family’s official website explains that there are no strict codes of conduct for meeting royals, only suggested traditional courtesies.
    Janine Henni, People.com, 8 July 2025
  • The latest warning comes courtesy of ThreatFabric, which has been tracking Anatsa for years.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gentility.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gentility. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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