true gent
- noun
- Informal
:
caballero
- At the party, Mark was a true gent, always helping others and making sure everyone felt welcome.
Examples
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Unfortunately, Simon hadn't passed, but he never let his disappointment show. In the true spirit of karate, he was so over the moon that I had passed; he hid his own disappointment and celebrated with me, a true gent.
Blog text (1) -
Despite the tension in the room, David remained a true gent, offering his hand and a smile to everyone he met.
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When she spilled her drink, James quickly helped her clean it up, proving he was a true gent.
Synonyms
∞
1.4
A man who is polite and kind to other people
70
8.0
A man who is polite or has good manners
5
7.7
A man who is polite and attentive to women
1
9.9
A polite, brave man who acts with honor and courtesy
Antonyms
How Courteous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a man who behaves in a very courteous, gentlemanly manner' is directly derivable from 'true' (genuine) modifying 'gent' (a courteous man). This is a straightforward compositional adjectival + noun phrase following normal English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand it.
Etymology
True gent comes from gent, short for 'gentleman', which used to mean a polite, respectful man. Calling someone a true gent says they really act like a gentleman, so it means 'a very courteous, gentlemanly man'.