Synonyms for genteel
- adjective
All synonyms
Adjective
1. Polite — aristocratic
polite, well-bred, gentlemanly, aristocratic, refined, cultured, well-mannered, courtly, elegant, courteous, gentle, civilized, civilised UK, graceful, cultivated, civil, polished, urbane, debonair, gracious, mannerly
Other
gentleman-like, pretentious, stylish, fashionable dated
Definitions
- adj. 1
Aristocratic.
Related words
- Word family
- genteelism genteelness gentleman
Choose the right word
Genteel refers to an external elegance, which may be showy and superficial, and the word is thus inferior to polite or courteous.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- polite My mother taught me that it's not polite to point.
- aristocratic His dress somehow gives an aristocratic impression.
- gentlemanly She was taken in by his gentlemanly appearance.
- stylish These headphones are both stylish and comfortable.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| genteel | rising | |
| polite | rising | |
| aristocratic | rising | |
| gentlemanly | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 5 letters
- civil2
- 6 letters
- gentle2, polite2, urbane2
- 7 letters
- elegant3, refined2, stylish2, courtly2
- 8 letters
- polished2, gracious2, graceful2, cultured2, debonair3, mannerly
- 9 letters
- civilized3, courteous3, civilised
- 10 letters
- cultivated4
- 11 letters
- fashionable4, pretentious3, gentlemanly4
- 12 letters
- aristocratic5
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (civil2 = 2 syllables).