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shabby-genteel
[ shab-ee-jen-teel ]
/ ˈʃæb i dʒɛnˈtil /
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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/, nounWords 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. 2023
How to use shabby-genteel in a sentence
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
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