gentlemen's agreement

or gentleman's agreement

noun

1. an agreement that, although unenforceable at law, is binding as a matter of personal honor.
2. an unwritten agreement by a socially prominent clique, private club, etc., to discriminate against or refuse to accept members of certain religious, racial, national, or other groups.

gentlemen's agreement

noun

1. a personal understanding or arrangement based on honour and not legally binding

Word History and Origins

Origin of gentlemen's agreement¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

It covers the period from just before the majors instituted a gentlemen’s agreement banning African Americans from playing with white players, to the Negro leagues becoming one of America’s biggest Black-owned businesses, to its demise.

From New York Times

In the late 19th century, when organized professional baseball began to stabilize into what it is now Major League Baseball, a so-called “gentlemen’s agreement” excluded Black athletes from participating.

From Los Angeles Times

Oxfam similarly criticized an “old gentlemen’s agreement of World Bank and IMF appointments,” saying it should have been a more transparent and merit-based global process.

From Washington Post

It was not even a law, but a “gentlemen’s agreement” enforced by, among others, Edmund Bacon, the city’s powerful planning director from 1949 to 1970 and the father of the Bacon brothers.

From Washington Post

McCarthy then went further, pledging to fast-track the bill’s consideration as part of a “gentlemen’s agreement” earlier this month that won over most of the 21 holdouts, including Roy, who were blocking him from becoming speaker.

From Washington Post