1
as in aristocracy
the highest class in a society
poor tenant farmers working for landed gentry
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in class
one of the segments of society into which people are grouped
the old-line yachting gentry frowns on vulgar displays of wealth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gentry
Grammer will play Lord Fairfax, the unofficial leader of the Virginia gentry who has a complicated relationship to young George Washington as both his crucial mentor and as the father of his romantic rival.
—
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
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
Members of Virginia’s gentry chafed at this ban, and Washington had spent years lobbying Dunmore to use his influence to reverse this restriction.
—Andrew Lawler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gentry
Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
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
Members of Virginia’s gentry chafed at this ban, and Washington had spent years lobbying Dunmore to use his influence to reverse this restriction.
—Andrew Lawler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gentry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gentry
Noun
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Few figures of the 20th century generated as much scrutiny—or controversy—from the press and the European aristocracy as Wallis Simpson.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
15 June 2026
-
Diana was born into the British aristocracy before marrying Prince Charles.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Swift, at 36 years-old, became the youngest-ever woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 11 as part of a creatively robust class that included Kenny Loggins, Alanis Morissette, and Kiss’s Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
12 June 2026
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Don’t miss the outdoor yoga classes taught outside on the beachside pavilion beneath the rainforest canopy twice per day (complimentary for all guests).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Intelligence is a little like the concept of nobility, said Alison Gopnik, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who has pioneered techniques for studying the cognitive abilities of babies and children.—
F.D. Flam,
Twin Cities,
22 Nov. 2025
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The new 2022 law called for reforming the teaching of Franco in schools, expanding reparations for Franco’s victims, introducing fines for displaying monuments to the old regime, abolishing some 33 titles of nobility awarded by Franco, and banning the Francisco Franco Foundation.—
Omar G. Encarnación,
Time,
20 Nov. 2025
Noun
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This Is Where the Serpent Lives is a systems novel about who gets to have ambition in the first place in a country where a person’s caste still determines so much of the course of their lives.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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Subterranean, drywood and dampwood, the three most common types of termites in the United States, all have reproductive castes capable of flying in swarms.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Plenty of other interesting folks inside Arrowhead and around KC.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
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Parlor Sports probably can’t hold more than 100 people, though my own bar-hopping days lead me to conclude that a heck of a lot more folks than that have piled in here to drink the beer and talk the talk while keeping an eye on one of the 15 flat screens.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
The Chiefs Hall of Honor on the second-level concourse contains the organization’s four Super Bowl trophies, memorabilia, exhibits and documents, and there is no admission to walk through history.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
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In Ghana, there also remains frustration at the old FIFA rules which dictated that once a player had represented a country at youth level, he was bound to it forever.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Worked on by architect Julia Morgan for nearly 30 years, the estate, which was never officially finished, includes 165 rooms and 123 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways, where Hearst displayed his impressive art collection.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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Simon Cornwell exec produces while Nick Cornwell is executive producer for the John le Carré estate.—
K.J. Yossman,
Variety,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gentry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gentry. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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