genteel
14
7.7
- adjective
- /dʒɛnˈtiːl/
:
refinado
- The genteel woman sipped her tea with a refined elegance that impressed her guests.
- genteel tradition
- genteel lady
- genteel approach
And is this dude is like this really genteel, super smart English guy.
- And is this dude is like this really genteel, super smart English guy.
- Leisure to read, to think, to engage in a kind of genteel contemplation.
- Just a sort of a genteel manner, respect for one's self and others.
- So there was this sort of genteel nature about her that I really wanted to capture in this character, Millie.
- I've made that mistake before, and yet Sal keeps putting it in no thesauruses at the genteel house.
Examples
-
Well, that's a very genteel way of asking if I come from old money.
-
"Not that kind of snob, but a genteel sort."
-
In its genteel form, competition meant nobody got killed.
-
I think that might be a little bit genteel for me.
-
Just a sort of a genteel manner, respect for one's self and others.
-
So there was this sort of genteel nature about her that I really wanted to capture in this character, Millie.
-
The things make the room look so cozy and genteel.
-
And yes, she was living in what the Victorians referred to as genteel poverty.
Fiction book (1999) -
Genteel old lady, pruning her roses.
-
Inside it rode a genteel old lady dressed in a shawl, a heavy veil, and an enormous sunbonnet.
Academic text (2011)
Synonyms
80
4.4
Polite with good manners and refined taste
71
4.6
Calm and serious in a way that shows self respect and gets respect from others
43
3.7
Polite and respectful when you speak or behave
18
7.1
Confident and charming in a smooth, polite way, often about a man
18
1.0
Having elegant manners and good taste in art or dress
17
4.4
Polite and considerate in a calm, respectful way
10
2.9
Polite and respectful to other people
6
7.2
Polite and elegant like people at a royal court
5
5.1
A person who likes and understands art, music, and books
4
4.1
Showing elegant, polite manners and good taste
4
7.0
Very formal and proper in a stiff, old-fashioned way
3
7.0
Very formal and correct in clothes and manners, often strict and stiff
3
7.9
Polite and showing good manners in formal situations
1
4.1
Polite and behaving well around other people
Having good education, polite manners, and good taste
Very well dressed and neatly groomed in a stylish way
Showing polite and respectful manners and appearance
Too formal and neat in a way that feels cold
Antonyms
Compounds
- Archaic
A person or place that looks slightly worn but still tries to seem elegant
How Refined
Surface Forms
Etymology
Genteel comes from an old word gentil meaning 'of a good family', and is like the words gentle and gentleman. So, to be genteel is to act like you come from a polite, refined family, which explains why it means 'polite, refined' today.