genteel
13
7.7
- adjective
- /dʒɛnˈtiːl/
- The genteel woman sipped her tea with a refined elegance that impressed her guests.
- genteel tradition
- genteel lady
- genteel approach
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Watch on YouTubeAnd 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
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Well, that's a very genteel way of asking if I come from old money.
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"Not that kind of snob, but a genteel sort."
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In its genteel form, competition meant nobody got killed.
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I think that might be a little bit genteel for me.
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Just a sort of a genteel manner, respect for one's self and others.
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So there was this sort of genteel nature about her that I really wanted to capture in this character, Millie.
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The things make the room look so cozy and genteel.
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And yes, she was living in what the Victorians referred to as genteel poverty.
Fiction book (1999) -
Genteel old lady, pruning her roses.
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Inside it rode a genteel old lady dressed in a shawl, a heavy veil, and an enormous sunbonnet.
Academic text (2011)
Synonyms
66
4.4
Polite with good manners and refined taste
64
4.6
Calm and serious in a way that shows self respect and gets respect from others
39
3.7
Polite and respectful when you speak or behave
25
4.1
Showing elegant, polite manners and good taste
23
1.0
Having elegant manners and good taste in art or dress
22
7.1
Confident and charming in a smooth, polite way, often about a man
21
5.1
A person who likes and understands art, music, and books
16
4.4
Polite and considerate in a calm, respectful way
12
2.9
Polite and respectful to other people
11
7.0
Very formal and proper in a stiff, old-fashioned way
6
7.2
Polite and elegant like people at a royal court
4
7.0
Very formal and correct in clothes and manners, often strict and stiff
4
5.4
Having good education, polite manners, and good taste
3
7.9
Polite and showing good manners in formal situations
2
4.1
Polite and behaving well around other people
1
7.9
Showing polite and respectful manners and appearance
1
9.9
Too formal and neat in a way that feels cold
Very well dressed and neatly groomed in a stylish way
Antonyms
Compounds
- Archaic
1
9.3
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.