top definitions
related content
examples
british

gentlefolk

or gen·tle·folks

[ jen-tl-fohk ]

/ ˈdʒɛn tlˌfoʊk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR gentlefolk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun (used with a plural verb)

persons of good family and breeding.

Origin of gentlefolk

First recorded in 1585–95; gentle + folk

Words nearby gentlefolk

gentisic acid, gentle, gentle breeze, gentle craft, gentle sex, gentlefolk, gentleman, gentleman friend, gentleman of fortune, gentleman of the road, gentleman usher of the black rod

Example sentences from the Web for gentlefolk

The tracks are so very unpleasant—dangerous even, for the carriages of gentlefolk.

Mary Gray |Katharine Tynan
The flowers were often of scant variety, but were those deemed the gentlefolk of the flower world.

Old-Time Gardens |Alice Morse Earle
Thousands of wives, I am told, pass their whole lives in the pretence that they and their husbands are gentlefolk.

Armorel of Lyonesse |Walter Besant
Hating is a thing that gentlefolk don't do—but gentlefolk don't live up here.

The Strength of the Pines |Edison Marshall

I know now, since all the company have come to Lynn, how homely and humble I am in the eyes of gentlefolk.

The Lady of Lynn |Walter Besant

British Dictionary definitions for gentlefolk

gentlefolk

gentlefolks

/ (ˈdʒɛntəlˌfəʊk) /

pl n

persons regarded as being of good breeding