Dictionary.com

gentry

[ jen-tree ]
/ ˈdʒɛn tri /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR gentry

noun

wellborn and well-bred people.
(in England) the class below the nobility.
an upper or ruling class; aristocracy.
those who are not members of the nobility but are entitled to a coat of arms, especially those owning large tracts of land.
(used with a plural verb) people, especially considered as a specific group, class, or kind: The polo crowd doesn't go there, but these hockey gentry do.
the state or condition of being a gentleman.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of gentry

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English word from Old French word genterie.See gentile, gentle

Words nearby gentry

gentoo penguin, gentrice, gentrification, gentrified, gentrify, gentry, gents', genu, genual, genucubital position, genuflect
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to gentry

aristocracy, high society, upper class

Example sentences from the Web for gentry

British Dictionary definitions for gentry

gentry
/ (ˈdʒɛntrɪ) /

noun

persons of high birth or social standing; aristocracy
British persons just below the nobility in social rank
informal, often derogatory people, esp of a particular group or kind

Word Origin for gentry

C14: from Old French genterie, from gentil gentle
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