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GENTEEL
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I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Marked by refinement in taste and manners
Example:
polite society
Synonyms:
civilised; civilized; cultivated; cultured; genteel; polite
Classified under:
Similar:
refined ((used of persons and their behavior) cultivated and genteel)
Derivation:
genteelness (elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression)
Context examples:
It was a poky, little, shabby-genteel place, where four lines of dingy two-storied brick houses looked out into a small railed-in enclosure, where a lawn of weedy grass and a few clumps of faded laurel bushes made a hard fight against a smoke-laden and uncongenial atmosphere.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
And a very well-spoken, genteel, shrewd lady, she seemed to be, continued he; asked more questions about the house, and terms, and taxes, than the Admiral himself, and seemed more conversant with business; and moreover, Sir Walter, I found she was not quite unconnected in this country, any more than her husband; that is to say, she is sister to a gentleman who did live amongst us once; she told me so herself: sister to the gentleman who lived a few years back at Monkford.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
As soon as divine service was over, the Thorpes and Allens eagerly joined each other; and after staying long enough in the pump-room to discover that the crowd was insupportable, and that there was not a genteel face to be seen, which everybody discovers every Sunday throughout the season, they hastened away to the Crescent, to breathe the fresh air of better company.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
We were so exceedingly genteel, that our scope was very limited.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Four thousand a year is a pretty estate, and he seems a very genteel, steady young man, so I hope Miss Julia will be very happy.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
I assure you they are very genteel people.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
Shrouded in a thick veil and armed with a genteel traveling basket, she departed, feeling that a cool drive would soothe her ruffled spirit and fit her for the labors of the day.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Was answering an advertisement about typewriting and came to the wrong number—very pleasant, genteel young woman, sir.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
This was the occurrence:—The Coles had been settled some years in Highbury, and were very good sort of people—friendly, liberal, and unpretending; but, on the other hand, they were of low origin, in trade, and only moderately genteel.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
In the intervals of her discourse with Mrs. Collins, she addressed a variety of questions to Maria and Elizabeth, but especially to the latter, of whose connections she knew the least, and who she observed to Mrs. Collins was a very genteel, pretty kind of girl.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
