genteel
adjective
gen·teel jen-ˈtēl 
1
a
: having an aristocratic quality or flavor : stylish
b
: of or relating to the gentry or upper class
a person of genteel upbringing
c
: elegant or graceful in manner, appearance, or shape
the genteel manners of an old southern gentleman
d
: free from vulgarity or rudeness : polite
2
a
: maintaining or striving to maintain the appearance of superior or middle-class social status or respectability
a shabby genteel mansion
b(1)
: marked by false delicacy, prudery, or affectation
was genteel on the surface, but had a hard heart
(2)
: conventionally or insipidly pretty
timid and genteel artistic style
genteelly
jen-ˈtē(l)-lē
adverb genteelness noun
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Get Fancy With Genteel
In Roman times, the Latin noun gens was used to refer to a clan, a group of related people. Its plural gentes was used to designate all the people of the world, particularly non-Romans. An adjective form, gentilis, applied to both senses. Over time, the adjective was borrowed and passed through several languages. It came into Old French as gentil, a word that then meant "high-born" (in modern French it means "nice"); that term was carried over into Anglo-French, where English speakers found and borrowed it in the early 17th century.
Synonyms
- befitting
- correct
- de rigueur
- decent
- decorous
- nice
- polite
- proper
- respectable
- seemly
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a person of genteel upbringing She was born into a genteel family. an elderly woman living in genteel poverty speaking in a genteel accent They lived in a more genteel era. the genteel manners of an old southern gentleman See More
Recent Examples on the Web The Times’ editorial board says that what’s needed now is not genteel deference to political norms but an unflinching pursuit of justice. 
Scott Sandell, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2022 Over succeeding decades, birding became more genteel. Tim Birkhead, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Aug. 2022 The four-person team that handles the team’s social media accounts expect to take a genteel approach to social media. Michael Cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Oct. 2021 Breakfast and dinner are included in the nightly rate, and mealtime on property is remarkably genteel. Elycia Rubin, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2022 My wife, a genteel, sophisticated woman of great kindness, has been her usual empathetic, supportive self. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Mar. 2021 Looking more closely at their policies, neither has a gender equality platform as detailed as the Greens, who are led by Adam Bandt, a former labor lawyer comfortable with conflict, albeit with a more genteel style. Susan Harris Rimmer, CNN, 19 May 2022 After Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, the right-wing movement and right-wing media activism had become stronger nationally—and less genteel. Moira Weigel, The New Republic, 20 Dec. 2021 Many first experienced this outdoor, genteel carnival in baby strollers pushed by their mothers or grandmothers. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2022 See More
Scott Sandell, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2022 Over succeeding decades, birding became more genteel. Tim Birkhead, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Aug. 2022 The four-person team that handles the team’s social media accounts expect to take a genteel approach to social media. Michael Cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Oct. 2021 Breakfast and dinner are included in the nightly rate, and mealtime on property is remarkably genteel. Elycia Rubin, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2022 My wife, a genteel, sophisticated woman of great kindness, has been her usual empathetic, supportive self. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Mar. 2021 Looking more closely at their policies, neither has a gender equality platform as detailed as the Greens, who are led by Adam Bandt, a former labor lawyer comfortable with conflict, albeit with a more genteel style. Susan Harris Rimmer, CNN, 19 May 2022 After Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, the right-wing movement and right-wing media activism had become stronger nationally—and less genteel. Moira Weigel, The New Republic, 20 Dec. 2021 Many first experienced this outdoor, genteel carnival in baby strollers pushed by their mothers or grandmothers. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French gentil literally, "of aristocratic birth," going back to Old French — more at gentle entry 1
First Known Use
1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
genteel
adjective
gen·teel jen-ˈtēl
1
: relating to the upper classes
a genteel family
2
: having an elegant, tasteful, or polite quality
genteel behavior
genteel
adjective
1
as in polite
following the established traditions of refined society and good taste those bygone days when young women were taught how to drink tea while wearing long gloves and other genteel ways of behaving Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- polite
- proper
- respectable
- decorous
- satisfactory
- acceptable
- nice
- elegant
- formal
- correct
- decent
- dress
- befitting
- adequate
- seemly
- dignified
- gracious
- tolerable
- prim
- congenial
- relevant
- de rigueur
- dressy
- apt
- stuffy
- priggish
- permitted
- allowed
- harmonious
- authorized
- kosher
- material
- compatible
- stiff
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- improper
- unseemly
- inappropriate
- unbecoming
- indecent
- informal
- indelicate
- casual
- unsatisfactory
- intolerable
- unacceptable
- indecorous
- shabby
- incorrect
- seedy
- tacky
- ungenteel
- barred
- grungy
- forbidden
- prohibited
- gauche
- awkward
- disallowed
- proscribed
- ungraceful
- outlawed
- banned
- interdicted
2
as in civilized
having or showing a taste for the fine arts and gracious living she grew up in genteel old Savannah Synonyms & Similar Words
- civilized
- cultured
- polite
- polished
- cultivated
- accomplished
- couth
- civil
- educated
- refined
- scholarly
- sophisticated
- cosmopolitan
- literate
- highbrow
- bourgeois
- cerebral
- intellectual
- middlebrow
- urbane
- mannerly
- erudite
- intellectualistic
- high-toned
- intellectualist
- courteous
- well-bred
- knowledgeable
- learned
- highbrowed
- well-read
- hypercivilized
- oversophisticated
- overcivilized
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- uncivilized
- barbaric
- barbarous
- ignorant
- uncultured
- unrefined
- uneducated
- unpolished
- illiterate
- coarse
- ungenteel
- philistine
- unlettered
- lowbrow
- rustic
- unintelligent
- provincial
- unsophisticated
- uncouth
- backwoods
- vulgar
- boorish
- crude
- ill-bred
- inelegant
- clownish
- ill-mannered
- rustical
- churlish
- cloddish
- polyester
3
as in aristocratic
of high birth, rank, or station the genteel ladies never mixed with the servants prohibited by reason of her genteel birth from marrying the man she loved Synonyms & Similar Words
- aristocratic
- noble
- patrician
- upper-crust
- gentle
- highbred
- upper-class
- wellborn
- highborn
- blue-blooded
- grand
- great
- silk-stocking
- royal
- gentlemanly
- ladylike
- regal
- superior
- exalted
- queenly
- ennobled
- lofty
- knightly
- princely
- lordly
- high
- kingly
- senior
- elevated
- high-level
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- humble
- common
- plebeian
- ignoble
- lowly
- low
- inferior
- ordinary
- mean
- lower-class
- knavish
- plain
- ungenteel
- nonaristocratic
- bastard
- baseborn
- illegitimate
- degraded
- junior
- subordinate
- abased
4
as in gracious
showing consideration, courtesy, and good manners his genteel gesture of holding the door for the ladies Synonyms & Similar Words
- polite
- gracious
- civil
- thoughtful
- mannerly
- nice
- pleasant
- respectful
- civilized
- careful
- respectable
- courteous
- well-bred
- graceful
- friendly
- gallant
- elegant
- gentlemanly
- courtly
- urbane
- ladylike
- humble
- chivalrous
- good
- ceremonious
- solicitous
- appropriate
- ceremonial
- decorous
- meek
- suave
- acceptable
- attentive
- gentlemanlike
- formal
- smooth
- deferential
- decent
- hospitable
- suitable
- considerate
- unctuous
- proper
- couth
- genial
- dutiful
- befitting
- refined
- affable
- demure
- cordial
- modest
- sociable
- fitting
- correct
- submissive
- felicitous
- seemly
- becoming
- yielding
- red-carpet
- unassertive
- meet
- right
- fit
- comme il faut
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- thoughtless
- uncivil
- unmannerly
- impolite
- unmannered
- ungracious
- rude
- discourteous
- thoughtless
- insolent
- inconsiderate
- heedless
- uncouth
- impudent
- ungenteel
- brash
- vulgar
- impertinent
- saucy
- boorish
- informal
- inconsiderate
- disrespectful
- brassy
- casual
- bold
- shameless
- audacious
- mannerless
- ill-bred
- loutish
- clownish
- ill-mannered
- churlish
- improper
- unseemly
- inappropriate
- indecorous
- indecent
- unceremonious
- arrogant
- pretentious
- lippy
- unrespectable
- incorrect
- presumptuous
- conceited
- clodhopping
- bold-faced
- presuming
- uncalled-for