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
Dinklage is particularly amusing as the giddy, genteel Prater, while Ritter balances wry disdain with flirtatious charm as Mia. Hall is, as always, entertaining as Dexter, delivering his character’s signature blend of deadpan humor and an earnest façade.
—
EW.com, 10 July 2025
There are contemporary costumes, hairstyles, props, scenic elements and characters’ line delivery, but central character Blanche DuBois seems to exist, both mentally and physically, in the more genteel South of the 1930s.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2025
His fiction is set all over the place—genteel backwaters like Miami, Hollywood, and Atlantic City, with excursions as far afield as the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Israel.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Appropriately, the 31-year-old actress speaks with a genteel British accent—something that might surprise those who know her as Jinny St. George, the ambitious, new-money American girl in The Buccaneers, Apple TV+’s Gilded Age drama, which is currently in its second season.
—Paulina Prosnitz, Air Mail, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for genteel
EW.com, 10 July 2025
There are contemporary costumes, hairstyles, props, scenic elements and characters’ line delivery, but central character Blanche DuBois seems to exist, both mentally and physically, in the more genteel South of the 1930s.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2025
His fiction is set all over the place—genteel backwaters like Miami, Hollywood, and Atlantic City, with excursions as far afield as the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Israel.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Appropriately, the 31-year-old actress speaks with a genteel British accent—something that might surprise those who know her as Jinny St. George, the ambitious, new-money American girl in The Buccaneers, Apple TV+’s Gilded Age drama, which is currently in its second season.
—Paulina Prosnitz, Air Mail, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for genteel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for genteel
Adjective
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Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
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Of course, the only thing unique about Cluely’s sales pitch is its bluntness; plenty of other AI companies have been selling the same thing using more polite and socially acceptable language for years.—
Bryce Hoffman,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But the needs of civilized society have a way of intruding.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Aug. 2025
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Act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what is happening in the region.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While its aristocratic history may be a thing of the past, the hotel (along with its grounds) does still exude the stately, elegant aura of a noble mansion.—
Erica Wertheim Zohar,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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Between July 20 and August 6, peasants across France mobilized at a stunning speed following untrue rumors of an aristocratic plot to intentionally starve out much of the population.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Percussion and a choir imbued the ballad with a pulse, and the gracious Warren quickly turned to clap for the singers at song’s end.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
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The 63-year-old chef helms the kitchen at Vila Joya—the restaurant of a gracious boutique hotel in Portugal that shares its name—which earned one Michelin star in 1995 and a second in 1999.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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There is a duty of care not to use data for the sake of it, but rather to ensure that analysis stands up to proper scrutiny and scientific rigour where possible.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Leaving clean laundry in the dryer or hamper only puts off a chore until later, keeps clean clothes from its proper place, and also risks wrinkles or someone accidentally mistaking it for dirty laundry instead.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Then, after microbiologists cultured cells from aquifer sediments located 30 meters beneath the surface, the race was on to find microbes in more extreme, unexpected habitats.—
Laura Poppick,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
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The RCPatch was cultured in the lab until the heart cells began contracting, which occurred within about three days.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Which is a noble and expansive ambition.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
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The overarching storyline for Battletech is the struggle between the noble houses born from the Succession Wars and the returning exiles of the Clans.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Being undocumented in the United States, whether by crossing the border without authorization or overstaying a visa, is typically considered a civil violation rather than a criminal offense.—
Caroll Alvarado,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
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The Sheriff's Department investigation was announced shortly after the civil suit was filed in May.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Genteel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/genteel. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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