gentility

[ jen-til-i-tee ]
/ dʒɛnˈtɪl ɪ ti /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR gentility ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

good breeding or refinement.
affected or pretentious politeness or elegance.
the status of belonging to polite society.
members of polite society collectively.

Origin of gentility

1300–50; Middle English < Old French gentilite < Latin gentīlitāt- (stem of gentīlitās), equivalent to gentīl(is) (see gentle) + -itāt- -ity

OTHER WORDS FROM gentility

un·gen·til·i·ty, noun

Words nearby gentility

gentile, gentile da fabriano, gentileschi, gentilesse, gentilism, gentility, gentisate, gentisic acid, gentle, gentle breeze, gentle craft

Words related to gentility

decorum, civility, elegance, propriety, aristocracy, respectability, politeness, urbanity, etiquette, flower, formality, society, culture, elite, rank, refinement, courtesy, gentry, polish, quality

Example sentences from the Web for gentility

British Dictionary definitions for gentility

gentility
/ (dʒɛnˈtɪlɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

respectability and polite good breeding
affected politeness
noble birth or ancestry
people of noble birth

Word Origin for gentility

C14: from Old French gentilite, from Latin gentīlitās relationship of those belonging to the same tribe or family; see gens