genteel
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genteel
belonging to polite society; well-bred or refined; polite; elegant: She has the genteel demeanor of a woman of breeding.
Not to be confused with:
gentile – pertaining to non-Jewish people, especially a Christian
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
gen·teel
(jĕn-tēl′)adj.
1. Refined or polite, often in an affected way: "Who better to domesticate him than the most genteel woman in the world? What better to housebreak him than ... a delicate actress with beautiful diction for his wife?" (Philip Roth). See Synonyms at polite.
2. Typical or characteristic of the upper class: "His family background was somewhat less genteel than his Brahmin name and Harvard pedigree might suggest" (Scot French).
3. Elegantly stylish or fashionable: genteel manners and appearance.
[French gentil, from Old French; see gentle.]
gen·teel′ly adv.
gen·teel′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
genteel
(dʒɛnˈtiːl)adj
1. affectedly proper or refined; excessively polite
2. respectable, polite, and well-bred: a genteel old lady.
3. appropriate to polite or fashionable society: genteel behaviour.
[C16: from French gentil well-born; see gentle]
genˈteelly adv
genˈteelness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
gen•teel
(dʒɛnˈtil)adj.
1. belonging or suited to polite society.
2. well-bred; polite; elegant.
3. affectedly polite or delicate.
[1590–1600; < Middle French gentil; see gentle]
gen•teel′ly, adv.
gen•teel′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Adj. | 1. | genteel - marked by refinement in taste and manners; "cultivated speech"; "cultured Bostonians"; "cultured tastes"; "a genteel old lady"; "polite society" refined - (used of persons and their behavior) cultivated and genteel; "she was delicate and refined and unused to hardship"; "refined people with refined taste" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
genteel
adjective refined, cultured, mannerly, elegant, formal, gentlemanly, respectable, polite, cultivated, courteous, courtly, well-bred, ladylike, well-mannered two maiden ladies with genteel manners and voices
rude, unaffected, unrefined, impolite, inelegant, plebeian, discourteous, unpolished, uncultured, ill-bred, unmannerly, low-bred
rude, unaffected, unrefined, impolite, inelegant, plebeian, discourteous, unpolished, uncultured, ill-bred, unmannerly, low-bred
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
genteel
adjective2. Marked by excessive concern for propriety and good form:
bluenosed, old-maidish, precise, priggish, prim, prissy, proper, prudish, puritanical, strait-laced, stuffy, Victorian.
Idiom: prim and proper.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
أنيق جِدّا
přepjatýuhlazený
fornem
góîborgaralegur; tilgerîarlegur
gerai išauklėtasgeros manierosgerų manierų
pārsmalcināts
aşırı kibarçıtkırıldım
genteel
[dʒenˈtiːl] ADJ1. (= middle-class) [person] → elegante, refinado; [manners] → refinado, fino; [atmosphere] → elegante
a genteel resort on the south coast → un elegante centro turístico de la costa del sur
to live in genteel poverty → vivir modestamente pero con dignidad
a genteel resort on the south coast → un elegante centro turístico de la costa del sur
to live in genteel poverty → vivir modestamente pero con dignidad
2. (pej) (= affected) → afectado
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
genteel
adj
n the genteel pl (form) → die Vornehmen pl
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
genteel
[dʒɛnˈtiːl] adj (affectedly polite) → affettato/a; (old) (refined) → distinto/a, raffinato/aCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
genteel
(dʒənˈtiːl) adjective acting, talking etc with a very great (often too great) attention to the rules of polite behaviour. She was laughed at for being too genteel.
genˈteelly adverbgenˈteelness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.