gentleman
a man of good family, breeding, or social position.
(used as a polite term) a man: Do you know that gentleman over there?
gentlemen, (used as a form of address): Gentlemen, please come this way.
a civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-mannered man: He behaved like a true gentleman.
a male personal servant, especially of a man of social position; valet.
a male attendant upon a king, queen, or other royal person, who is himself of high birth or rank.
a man of good social standing, as a noble or an armigerous commoner.
a man with an independent income who does not work for a living.
a male member of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives: The chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.
History/Historical. a man who is above the rank of yeoman.
Origin of gentleman
1synonym study For gentleman
Other words from gentleman
- gen·tle·man·like, adjective
- un·der·gen·tle·man, noun, plural un·der·gen·tle·men.
- un·gen·tle·man·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gentleman in a sentence
Because we all grew up initially thinking it was “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen.”
These gentlemen, said Clausewitz in brief, had the misfortune of mistaking the accoutrements of war for its essential nature.
At the same time, I knew that they were these gentlemen whom I had just recently met.
Waving a silk cloth, he declared, “Gentlemen, I will have this land just as surely as I now have this handkerchief.”
“This is what you call perseverance, ladies and gentlemen,” Greenfield said.
How Brooklyn’s First Ice Cream Girl Fought City Hall–and Won | Michael Daly | October 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Then, if you gentlemen are successful here, and capture Fulton and Jefferson City, our brightest hopes will be fulfilled.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnThe croupier announces, intoning as does a high-church curate, "There is seven hundred and forty pounds in the bank, gentlemen."
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsWhen used by gentlemen it was common to carry a silver basin to spit in.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.The gentlemen resumed their seats, and this time, Mr Bellamy addressed them.
And now, gentlemen, I have a boon to ask—where there is so much joy, why not make all happy at once?
British Dictionary definitions for gentleman
/ (ˈdʒɛntəlmən) /
a man regarded as having qualities of refinement associated with a good family
a man who is cultured, courteous, and well-educated
a polite name for a man
the personal servant of a gentleman (esp in the phrase gentleman's gentleman)
British history a man of gentle birth, who was entitled to bear arms, ranking above a yeoman in social position
(formerly) a smuggler
Derived forms of gentleman
- gentlemanly, adjective
- gentlemanliness, noun
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
Browse