genteel
[ jen-teel ]
/ dʒɛnˈtil /
adjective
belonging or suited to polite society.
well-bred or refined; polite; elegant; stylish.
affectedly or pretentiously polite, delicate, etc.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
genseng, genseric, gent, gent., gentamicin, genteel, genteelism, gentes, gentian, gentian blue, gentian family
Origin of genteel
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for genteel
British Dictionary definitions for genteel
genteel
/ (dʒɛnˈtiːl) /
adjective
affectedly proper or refined; excessively polite
respectable, polite, and well-breda genteel old lady
appropriate to polite or fashionable societygenteel behaviour
Derived Formsgenteelly, adverbgenteelness, noun
Word Origin for genteel
C16: from French gentil well-born; see gentle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for genteel
genteel
1590s, from Middle French gentil "stylish, fashionable, elegant; nice, graceful, pleasing," from Old French gentil "high-born, noble" (11c.); a reborrowing of the French word that had early come into English as gentle (q.v.), with French pronunciation and stress preserved to emphasize the distinction. Cf. also jaunty; gentile. OED 2nd ed. reports genteel "is now used, except by the ignorant, only in mockery" (a development it dates from the 1840s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper