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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in civilized
having or showing a taste for the fine arts and gracious living
she grew up in genteel old Savannah
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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
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4
as in gracious
showing consideration, courtesy, and good manners
his genteel gesture of holding the door for the ladies
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of genteel
For even the least genteel arriviste, owning Mar-a-Lago and endearing oneself to an important Palm Beach charity would guarantee what is called entree, a place on all the right invitation lists and membership at one of the social clubs.
—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
All this might be a bit much for those who like their international epics more refined and genteel.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024
Only that genteel veneer soon gives way to a more scathing national x-ray, satirizing post-Brexit malaise alongside broader issues of immigration and national identity.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 30 Jan. 2025
Faulkner's chronicle of the dissolution of a genteel Southern family has already been adapted into two films, as has Hemingway's WWI romance.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genteel
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
All this might be a bit much for those who like their international epics more refined and genteel.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024
Only that genteel veneer soon gives way to a more scathing national x-ray, satirizing post-Brexit malaise alongside broader issues of immigration and national identity.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 30 Jan. 2025
Faulkner's chronicle of the dissolution of a genteel Southern family has already been adapted into two films, as has Hemingway's WWI romance.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genteel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for genteel
Adjective
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Interaction with the clients is very polite, very kind—but very short.—
Elise Taylor,
Vogue,
3 Mar. 2025
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When thinking about quintessential Southern attributes, qualities like hospitable, benevolent, and polite come to mind.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Going back to child labor policies reminiscent of the Gilded Age is not an answer in a civilized society to address worker shortages and disrupted supply chains.—
Thomas Kennedy,
Orlando Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
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And Smith wants to use it as a stage for something sprawling and meaningful — the latest pronouncement on how savage the supposedly civilized become when the chips are down.—
Mike Hale,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Sina Villa Matilde About 40 minutes from Turin, this elegant hotel is set in an 18th-century residence that once belonged to the Bishop of Ivrea and later to the aristocratic Bocca family, who is behind Sina Hotels.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Feb. 2025
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The Pinacoteca and its treasures are my neighbors in an area that preserves the blend of aristocratic elegance and popular charm that is one of Milan’s most enchanting qualities.—
Miles Socha for WWD,
ARTnews.com,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But instead of being gracious, Trump booted Zelenskyy out of the White House, leaving the hero’s lunch on a tray in the hall, torpedoing his existential fight to save his battered country and Ukrainian lives.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2025
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Here’s a gracious one-bedroom in North Park Slope, close to the Park and Grand Army Plaza, with an elegant layout: a big foyer, with a large living room on one side, the bedroom on the other, and a kitchen in the middle.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The chairman alleged Sherman colluded with some board members to wrest control by making changes to the board’s composition by appointing two new directors without proper vetting by the nominations committee.—
Jonathan Burgos,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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The on and off ramps at Exit 74 on I-95 lack the proper acceleration and deceleration lanes that merge on and off I-95.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But when the rich and cultured Princess Casamassima befriends him, Hyacinth becomes enamored of her lifestyle.—
Max Chapnick,
The Conversation,
16 Jan. 2025
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Remember, buttermilk is already cultured and tangy, so a little age isn't a deal breaker.—
Sheri Castle,
Southern Living,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Any algorithmic bias, no matter how noble, that promotes cooperation skews strategy and statecraft.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
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Sadly, this noble, ocean-going species is on the decline throughout its native range, with many runs listed as threatened or endangered.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The third individual placed on leave -- a member of the office's civil division -- posted about Elon Musk and Ed Martin, a leader of the Stop the Steal movement and President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., the sources said.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2025
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The prospect of potential charges was raised again by U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, after the Florida Republican brought up the Boston Trust Act, a 2014 local law that prohibits city police and other departments from cooperating with federal authorities on civil immigration detainers.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Genteel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/genteel. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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