Synonyms for genteel
dʒɛnˈtilgen·teel

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 1 vote

1. genteel

   A civil person observes such propriety of speech and manner as to avoid being rude; one who is polite (literally polished) observes more than the necessary proprieties, conforming to all that is graceful, becoming, and thoughtful in the intercourse of refined society. A man may be civil with no consideration for others, simply because self-respect forbids him to be rude; but one who is polite has at least some care for the opinions of others, and if polite in the highest and truest sense, which is coming to be the prevailing one, he cares for the comfort and happiness of others in the smallest matters. Civil is a colder and more distant word than polite; courteous is fuller and richer, dealing often with greater matters, and is used only in the good sense. Courtly suggests that which befits a royal court, and is used of external grace and stateliness without reference to the prompting feeling; as, the courtly manners of the ambassador. Genteel refers to an external elegance, which may be showy and superficial, and the word is thus inferior to polite or courteous. Urbane refers to a politeness that is genial and successful in giving others a sense of ease and cheer. Polished refers to external elegancies of speech and manner without reference to spirit or purpose; as, a polished gentleman or a polished scoundrel; cultured refers to a real and high development of mind and soul, of which the external manifestation is the smallest part. Complaisant denotes a disposition to please or favor beyond what politeness would necessarily require.

   Synonyms:
   accomplished, civil, complaisant, courteous, courtly, cultivated, cultured, elegant, gracious, obliging, polished, polite, urbane, well-behaved, well-bred, well-mannered

   Antonyms:
   awkward, bluff, blunt, boorish, brusk, clownish, coarse, discourteous, ill-behaved, ill-bred, ill-mannered, impertinent, impolite, impudent, insolent, insulting, raw, rude, rustic, uncivil, uncouth, unmannerly, unpolished, untaught, untutored

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. genteel

   Synonyms:
   polite, well-bred, refined, courteous, fashionable, elegant, aristocratic, polished, graceful

   Antonyms:
   rude, boorish, ill-bred, clownish, unfashionable, unpolished, inelegant, plebeian

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. civilized, civilised, cultivated, cultured, genteel, politeadjective

   marked by refinement in taste and manners

   "cultivated speech"; "cultured Bostonians"; "cultured tastes"; "a genteel old lady"; "polite society"

   Synonyms:
   civilised, civil, cultivated, polite, cultured, civilized

   Antonyms:
   unrefined

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. genteeladjective

   Synonyms:
   refined, polite, courteous, polished, civil, well-bred, gentlemanly or lady-like

2. genteeladjective

   Synonyms:
   fashionable, stylish, elegant (in dress, style of living, &c.)

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "genteel":

   distinguished

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How to use genteel in a sentence?

1. Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri:

   He can come on with a relatively genteel persona that is calm, or he can come in very aggressive and be aggressive in a way that you would not normally see a presidential, you know Republican nominee behave and so we're preparing for either one. Fox News can confirm that two of the most experienced debate strategists – D.C. lawyer Karen Dunn and former Al Gore aide Ron Klain -- have been overseeing the Westchester County debate prep. Dunn famously told President Obama to punch Mitt Romney in the mouth after a lackluster debate performance in 2012. The Clinton campaign and surrogates meanwhile are trying to get under Trump’s skin by circulating a 19-page list of Trump’s.

2. Chris Swecker:

   You know, it's kid-gloves, it's going about it in a very nice way, very genteel, this is yet another example, I think, of the genteel way the left and the right are handled.

3. Drinks International:

   But the Dead Rabbit is more than the sum of its liquid parts, fusing as it does colorful historical references to the city’s 19th-century Water Street rough-neck pub set and Lower Broadway’s genteel cocktail imbibers in an atmosphere of Irish-American hospitality.

4. Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!:

   A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.

5. Thomas Hardy:

   Dialect words are those terrible marks of the beast to the truly genteel.