gentlefolk

or gen·tle·folks

[ jen-tl-fohk ]

noun

, (used with a plural verb)

1. persons of good family and breeding.

gentlefolk

/ ˈdʒɛntəlˌfəʊk /

plural noun

1. persons regarded as being of good breeding

Word History and Origins

Origin of gentlefolk¹

First recorded in 1585–95; gentle + folk

Example Sentences

Lords not only ought to be gentlefolk, and be fed and waited upon and live in affluent idleness, but super-gentlefolk.

From Project Gutenberg

My only fear was that the gallery might mistake his rather second-rate people for gentlefolk.

From Project Gutenberg

Gentlefolk have "friends" stopping with them, never "company."

From Project Gutenberg

Those few hundreds of French gentlefolk fell into a pit that most of them had been well content should exist for others.

From Project Gutenberg

After all, bedders are to blame for the present lamentable state of things, just as much as gentlefolk.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aristocracy
• civility
• decorum
• elegance
• politeness
• propriety
• respectability