gentility

American  

[jen-til-i-tee] / dʒɛnˈtɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. good breeding or refinement.

   Synonyms:

   propriety , decorum , grace , polish

2. affected or pretentious politeness or elegance.

3. the status of belonging to polite society.

4. members of polite society collectively.

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gentility British  

/ dʒɛnˈtɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. respectability and polite good breeding

2. affected politeness

3. noble birth or ancestry

4. people of noble birth

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Other Word Forms

• ungentility noun

Etymology

Origin of gentility

1300–50; Middle English < Old French gentilite < Latin gentīlitāt- (stem of gentīlitās ), equivalent to gentīl ( is ) ( gentle ) + -itāt- -ity

Example Sentences

As Hemingway exclaimed in the voice of Jake Barnes, “It’s funny what a wonderful gentility you get in the bar of a big hotel.”

From Salon

Du Maurier’s world is one of pinched gentility.

From The Wall Street Journal

Its noble gentility has been subtly adding to the DNA of the California sound.

From Los Angeles Times

Already masterwork in balancing gentility with explosive rage, the actor blends the spark of a political mover with the oleaginous menace of a mob boss.

From Salon

So what this shows about Richard Mack is that, in his eyes, one of the appeals of the constitutional sheriff movement is that they represent a sort of gentility that doesn't exist in policing anymore.

From Salon

Related Words

• aristocracy
• civility
• decorum
• elegance
• politeness
• propriety
• respectability