gentry
Americannoun
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wellborn and well-bred people.
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(in England) the class below the nobility.
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an upper or ruling class; aristocracy.
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those who are not members of the nobility but are entitled to a coat of arms, especially those owning large tracts of land.
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(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.
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the state or condition of being a gentleman.
noun
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persons of high birth or social standing; aristocracy
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persons just below the nobility in social rank
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informal people, esp of a particular group or kind
Etymology
Origin of gentry
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English word from Old French word genterie. See gentile, gentle
Explanation
The gentry are the powerful members of society. In the United Kingdom, where there are still kings and queens and dukes and duchesses, the gentry are the people who rank just below the nobility. Gentry can also refer to the important people in any field. The gentry of rock 'n' roll would include icons like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. The gentry of Hollywood are the stars everyone recognizes, the faces you constantly see on magazine covers, starring in movies, and making TV appearances. The gentry of New York society are the people who make major donations to art museums and hospitals and are A-list invitees to all the big fundraisers and cultural events.
Vocabulary lists containing gentry
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Chains
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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.
Portrayed in youth by Grady Wilson, he grows up middle class in New Jersey as his mother resolves to raise him with the airs and graces of the gentry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
Eventually, such places did get “discovered,” and the local gentry might have bragged that they had just found the most delish little café hidden away in an edgy neighborhood.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025
One was based on class power of early merchant capitalists and the other based on the caste power of the Southern white gentry.
From Salon • Oct. 12, 2024
Dr. Guy says that dropping the "ap" was a change which happened over time, and that the gentry led, with the rest of the population then following.
From BBC • Dec. 26, 2023
A company will boast of having been “purveyors of fine jewelry to the gentry since 1861.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
