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Synonyms

gentility

American  
[jen-til-i-tee] / dʒɛnˈtɪl ɪ ti /

noun

  1. good breeding or refinement.

    Synonyms:
    propriety, decorum, grace, polish
  2. affected or pretentious politeness or elegance.

  3. the status of belonging to polite society.

  4. members of polite society collectively.


gentility British  
/ dʒɛnˈtɪlɪtɪ /

noun

  1. respectability and polite good breeding

  2. affected politeness

  3. noble birth or ancestry

  4. people of noble birth

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of gentility

1300–50; Middle English < Old French gentilite < Latin gentīlitāt- (stem of gentīlitās ), equivalent to gentīl ( is ) ( see gentle) + -itāt- -ity

Explanation

Anyone can be nice. Many people have good manners. But gentility is that rare kind of graciousness that is handed down from one elegant generation to the next. In the early 13th century, gentility described someone's social status, coming from the Old French word gentil, meaning "high-born, noble, of good family." Over time the word's meaning broadened to include those coming from a family whose members had a refined manner and an elegant way of expressing themselves — no title of nobility required, just as today anyone can be a gentleman (or woman).

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Vocabulary lists containing gentility

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I had thought that Fairhope, which some call “Mayberry by the Bay,” was a place where real Southern gentility had survived.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

Through invented details of clothing, Ms. Ng points out, Gainsborough could “subvert the rigid rules of British social class,” elevating sitters into gentility.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

As Hemingway exclaimed in the voice of Jake Barnes, “It’s funny what a wonderful gentility you get in the bar of a big hotel.”

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

Its noble gentility has been subtly adding to the DNA of the California sound.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

We have fallen upon a plantation downriver with infinitely less gentility and infinitely unhappier issue.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

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