genteel

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French gentil (“gentile”), from Latin gentīlis (“of or belonging to the same people or nation”), from gēns (“clan; tribe; people, family”) + adjective suffix -īlis (“-ile”). Doublet of gentle, gentile, and jaunty. See also gens, gender, genus, and generation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɛnˈtiːl/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Adjective

genteel (comparative more genteel, superlative most genteel)

1. Affectedly proper or refined; somewhat prudish refinement; excessively polite.
   • 1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 407:

     Genteel America was handicapped by meagerness of soul, thinness of temper, paucity of talent.

2. Polite and well-mannered.
   • 1795, Joseph Addison, “An Essay on Card-playing”, in Interesting Anecdotes, Memoirs, Allegories, Essays, and Poetical Fragments; Tending to Amuse the Fancy, and Inculcate Morality, page 67:

     Indeed I would advise every ſingle lady, if poſſible, to attend her inamorato, pretty frequently at the card table; and however genteel and agreeable his behaviour should be to herſelf, if he is haſty or pettiſh with any one else in company, she may depend on the ſame fate when once the knot is tied.

3. Stylish or elegant.
4. Aristocratic.

Derived terms

• genteel business
• genteelism
• genteel lady
• genteelly
• shabby-genteel

 

Related terms

• gentleman

Translations

excessively polite and well-mannered

• Bulgarian: префинен (bg) (prefinen)
• Czech: uhlazený, nóbl (cs)
• Dutch: galant (nl)
• Finnish: herraskainen
• Georgian: აღზრდილი (aɣzrdili), ზრდილობიანი (zrdilobiani), დახვეწილი (daxvec̣ili), დარბაისელი (darbaiseli)
• German: übertrieben höflich, affektiert (de)
• Greek: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: finomkodó (hu), előkelősködő (hu), cifra (hu)
• Macedonian: во́спитан (vóspitan), пре́финет (préfinet)
• Occitan: gent (oc), avenent (oc)
• Plautdietsch: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: воспи́танный (ru) (vospítannyj)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: förnäm (sv)
• Welsh: please add this translation if you can

stylish, elegant

• Bulgarian: елегантен (bg) (eleganten), изящен (bg) (izjašten)
• Czech: uhlazený, nóbl (cs)
• Dutch: modieus (nl)
• Finnish: hieno (fi), muodikas (fi), hienostunut (fi)
• French: à la mode (fr)
• Georgian: დახვეწილი (daxvec̣ili), ელეგანტური (eleganṭuri), ნატიფი (naṭipi), დარბაისელი (darbaiseli), მოდური (moduri), მოხდენილი (moxdenili)
• German: stilvoll (de), schick (de), elegant (de)
• Hungarian: disztingvált (hu), kifinomult (hu), finom (hu), sikkes (hu), elegáns (hu), stílusos (hu)
• Irish: galánta
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: елега́нтен (elegánten), мо́ден (móden)
• Norwegian: please add this translation if you can
• Occitan: gent (oc), graciós (oc), afièch
• Plautdietsch: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: мо́дный (ru) (módnyj), изя́щный (ru) (izjáščnyj), элега́нтный (ru) (elegántnyj)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: please add this translation if you can

aristocratic

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Czech: noblesní, nóbl (cs)
• Dutch: aristocratisch (nl)
• Finnish: aristokraattinen (fi), yläluokkainen (fi), jalosukuinen (fi)
• Georgian: არისტოკრატიული (arisṭoḳraṭiuli), დარბაისელი (darbaiseli), კეთილშობილი (ḳetilšobili)
• German: aristokratisch (de), vornehm (de)
• Hungarian: úri (hu), előkelő (hu), elit (hu), szalon- (hu), arisztokratikus (hu)
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: аристокра́тски (aristokrátski), благо́роден (blagóroden)
• Norwegian: please add this translation if you can
• Occitan: gent (oc), nòble (oc)
• Russian: аристократи́ческий (ru) (aristokratíčeskij), аристократи́чный (ru) (aristokratíčnyj), благоро́дный (ru) (blagoródnyj)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: please add this translation if you can

Anagrams

• genelet