gentleman
Americannoun
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gentlemen
plural
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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
Synonym Usage
See man.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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gentlemanlinessnoun
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undergentlemannoun
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gentlemanlikeadjective
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gentlemanlyadjective
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ungentlemanlikeadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of gentleman
Middle English word dating back to 1225–75; see origin at gentle, man
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.
See Examples For:
It’s nice for this gentleman that he seems to love his six-figure job and doesn’t want to give it up, but a job is a burden for many other older people, me included.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
“He was a gentleman, very courteous, very receptive,” Salazar said.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
Stewart said Norman was a proud Coleraine man, community stalwart and a gentleman who was always warm, witty and full of fascinating stories.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
But neither gentleman is what anyone would call efficacious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
That taste was still with Don Quixote when they met a gentleman wearing a green overcoat.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Ladies and gentlemen, I must be pretty persuasive, because I got both.”
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
“I have visions of older gentlemen going out at night and doing it in balaclavas and golf jumpers,” said Susan Oliver, who runs SO & Co., a fashion accessories and gift store in town.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
"I just wanted to tell this story because, ladies and gentlemen of the American media, this is important," Rutte told journalists in the Oval Office as Trump looked on approvingly.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
"Can you bear to do one more of those, ladies and gentlemen," pleads Dunkley, "while there's still blood left in your top lips?"
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Some of the gentlemen pitch in and work hard, but most of them just take turns standing guard, their muskets ready, with slow matches smoking.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
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