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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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
Schlather’s approach is the opposite of the genteel Spoleto staging, which invoked the opulent sets and costumes of the Met’s designer, Cecil Beaton, on a smaller stage.
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Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
Where Aston’s mid-engine milestone distances itself from its 1,139 hp Valkyrie sibling is in its ability to display a more genteel demeanor in public.
—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
25 Apr. 2026
His reputation, as captured by obituaries in the Guardian and the Times of London, is one of genteel melancholy and precise social observation.
—
Charlie Tyson,
Harpers Magazine,
21 Apr. 2026
In this case, a genteel woman’s tradition is set against the sound of military helicopters whirring overhead.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for genteel
Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
Where Aston’s mid-engine milestone distances itself from its 1,139 hp Valkyrie sibling is in its ability to display a more genteel demeanor in public.
—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
25 Apr. 2026
His reputation, as captured by obituaries in the Guardian and the Times of London, is one of genteel melancholy and precise social observation.
—
Charlie Tyson,
Harpers Magazine,
21 Apr. 2026
In this case, a genteel woman’s tradition is set against the sound of military helicopters whirring overhead.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for genteel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for genteel
Adjective
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The result is a chain of polite, yet simultaneously radical buildings with an exciting contour resembling a mountainous landscape – adding ‘bergen’ in De Bergen!
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Then, when regular channels deny your claim, send a polite, concise email to the company’s executives.
Adjective
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Her generation was one of thinkers, politically committed to defining how individuals were to be shaped as citizens of a civilized nation.
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In Season 3, the team enters Dinopia, a civilized dinosaur world, to face threats endangering both worlds through friendship, courage, and teamwork.
Adjective
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The Sound and The Fury Told by four narrators in a stream of consciousness writing style, this 1929 story describes the downfall of a wealthy Southern aristocratic family, the Compsons.
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Because of previous demand, over 20,000 people had been employed in buckle manufacture in the Birmingham area, but when this aristocratic fashion suddenly collapsed in 1786 on the eve of the French Revolution, their trade collapsed along with it.
Adjective
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Thanks to a gracious group of Team Algeria soccer supporters, the city of Lawrence will forever have a reminder of its role in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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The axe came down swiftly and brutally, but, speaking candidly, Geoff Daniels, PBS’ Vice President, Programming & Development, was gracious about it, thanking the audience of mostly media industry people for their camaraderie.
Adjective
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Weist herself appears in a brief introductory clip before the performance proper.
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While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name.
Adjective
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Some butter is cultured by adding lactic acid bacteria.
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Clean Cultured Marble These same cleaning supplies and methods can be used to clean cultured marble bathroom vanity tops and sinks.
Adjective
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The idea that, rather than taking your phone out of your pocket to open the Soundcore app to get all the settings, is a noble one, but it's replaced by taking your carry case out of your pocket, unlocking it, and then getting to all the settings.
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So did his friendly rival, John Adams, who wrote of his dream ‘…to see rising in America an empire of liberty, and a prospect of two or three hundred millions of freemen, without one noble or one king among them.
Adjective
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But by the time the bicentennial rolled around, my life had played out against the backdrop of civil unrest and the Vietnam War, both spilling from our black-and-white television almost nightly.
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The higher current density reduces the overall equipment footprint by roughly two-thirds and can lower civil engineering requirements for future installations.
Cite this Entry
“Genteel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/genteel. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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