Dictionary.com

genteel

[ jen-teel ]
/ dʒɛnˈtil /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR genteel ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

belonging or suited to polite society.
well-bred or refined; polite; elegant; stylish.
affectedly or pretentiously polite, delicate, etc.

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Origin of genteel

1590–1600; <French gentil;see gentle

OTHER WORDS FROM genteel

Words nearby genteel

genseng, Genseric, gent, gentamicin, gentamicin sulfate, genteel, genteelism, gentian, gentianaceous, gentian blue, gentianella
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to genteel

noble, ostentatious, polite, elegant, aristocratic, stylish, refined, affected, artificial, chivalrous, civil, confined, courteous, courtly, fashionable, formal, graceful, hollow, intolerant, mannerly

Example sentences 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 forms of genteel

genteelly, 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012