gentry

[ jen-tree ]

/ ˈdʒɛn tri /

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See synonyms for gentry on Thesaurus.com

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.

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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, genuflect, genuflection, genuine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gentry in a sentence

Gentry didn’t just argue that the most valuable use of the property was apartments, he said that the Union-Tribune’s analysis was incorrect because it only compared the hotel purchases to other hotel purchases.
Appraisals Undermine Housing Commission’s Defense of Hotel Purchases|Andrew Keatts|June 30, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Neither Gentry or Pavco mentioned it in their board presentation, and no board members asked any questions about it.
Housing Commission Broker Invested in Company Before $67M Hotel Purchase|Andrew Keatts|May 21, 2021|Voice of San Diego
But the new rich, particularly the young, tend to be more progressive, or at least gentry liberal.
Trustafarians Want to Tell You How to Live|Joel Kotkin|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last week was a good week for natural gas, but a bad one for green gentry liberalism.
‘Downton Abbey’ Democrats May Cost their Party the Senate|Lloyd Green|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Gentry domination requires allies with a broader social base and their own political power.
California’s New Feudalism Benefits a Few at the Expense of the Multitude|Joel Kotkin|October 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The urban gentry and intelligentsia, though, disdained this voluntary migration.
The Triumph of Suburbia: Despite Downtown Hype, Americans Choose Sprawl|Joel Kotkin|April 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Beltway gentry gets a great deal on government-provided health care—but they think your plan needs cutting.
D.C. Elites Agree on Medicare RX: Cuts for Thee, but Not for Me|Lloyd Green|March 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The miserable ignorance of the peasantry is a disgrace to the landed gentry, and loudly calls for reform.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
It was played by particular request of one of the pepper-and-salt gentry.
Little Travels and Roadside Sketches|William Makepeace Thackeray
The Tory gentry, who were powerful in all the counties, had special grievances.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
In the two other parts the tradespeople and the gentry reside; they have an incomparably better aspect.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
None but nobles and gentry are knights, and none but these will remain to dance to our music after that episode.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

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

gentry

Origin of gentry

Words nearby gentry

Words related to gentry

How to use gentry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gentry

Word Origin for gentry