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shabby-genteel

[ shab-ee-jen-teel ]
/ ˈʃæb i dʒɛnˈtil /

adjective

trying to maintain dignity and self-respect despite shabbiness.

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Origin of shabby-genteel

First recorded in 1745–55

OTHER WORDS FROM shabby-genteel

shab·by-gen·til·i·ty [shab-ee-jen-til-i-tee], /ˈʃæb i dʒɛnˈtɪl ɪ ti/, noun

Words nearby shabby-genteel

shabash, Shabbas, Shabbas goy, Shabbat, shabby, shabby-genteel, Shabelle, Shabuoth, shabu-shabu, Shacharis, Shacharith
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for shabby-genteel

British Dictionary definitions for shabby-genteel

shabby-genteel

adjective

preserving or aspiring to the forms and manners of gentility despite appearing shabby
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