gentleman
Americannoun
plural
gentlemen-
a man of good family, breeding, or social position.
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(used as a polite term) a man.
Do you know that gentleman over there?
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gentlemen, (used as a form of address).
Gentlemen, please come this way.
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a civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-mannered man.
He behaved like a true gentleman.
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a male personal servant, especially of a man of social position; valet.
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a male attendant upon a king, queen, or other royal person, who is himself of high birth or rank.
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a man of good social standing, as a noble or an armigerous commoner.
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a man with an independent income who does not work for a living.
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a male member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives.
The chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.
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History/Historical. a man who is above the rank of yeoman.
noun
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a man regarded as having qualities of refinement associated with a good family
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a man who is cultured, courteous, and well-educated
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a polite name for a man
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the personal servant of a gentleman (esp in the phrase gentleman's gentleman )
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history a man of gentle birth, who was entitled to bear arms, ranking above a yeoman in social position
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(formerly) a smuggler
Related Words
See man.
Other Word Forms
- gentlemanlike adjective
- gentlemanliness noun
- gentlemanly adjective
- undergentleman noun
- ungentlemanlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of gentleman
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.
Eden kicks things off by announcing, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Ballet Reign.”
From Los Angeles Times
“We’re in a tough spot, ladies and gentlemen, and I can’t identify a lot of good options, even as ships carrying Marines are heading for the Gulf,” he said.
From Barron's
“We’re in a tough spot, ladies and gentlemen, and I can’t identify a lot of good options, even as the ships carrying the Marines are heading for the Gulf,” he added.
From Barron's
Montaigne “has seen too much of gentlemen in the long robe, until he wishes for cannibals,” he suggests.
“The idea that no gentleman ever swears is all wrong,” Mark Twain said in a speech on taxes and morals.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
