Meaning & use
distinguished gentleman
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Meanings
nouncountableapproving
A man who is respected for his dignified manner, accomplishments or elegant appearance.
Grammar: Refers to a man; plural is distinguished gentlemen.
Patterns
- a distinguished gentleman of something
A distinguished gentleman in a gray suit held the door open for us.
The professor was a distinguished gentleman who had advised three presidents.
Everyone stood when the distinguished gentleman entered the hall.
nouncountablehumorousformal
A polite or playful way of addressing or referring to a man, especially in a formal setting.
Grammar: Used as a courteous label, sometimes with a smile: our distinguished gentleman from Ohio.
Patterns
- the distinguished gentleman from somewhere
Please welcome the distinguished gentleman on my left.
The distinguished gentleman has finally arrived, said Maria with a grin.
I defer to the distinguished gentleman across the table.
Word forms
| plural | distinguished gentlemen |
|---|
Common combinations
- a distinguished gentleman in his sixties
- He was a distinguished gentleman in his sixties with silver hair.
- look like a distinguished gentleman
- In that suit you look like a distinguished gentleman.
- the distinguished gentleman from
- The chair thanked the distinguished gentleman from Texas.
- a silver-haired distinguished gentleman
- A silver-haired distinguished gentleman greeted the guests.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gentleman
- Gentleman alone stresses good manners, whereas distinguished gentleman adds a sense of rank, age or reputation.
- dignitary
- A dignitary holds an important official position, while a distinguished gentleman may simply have an impressive bearing.
- gent
- Gent is casual and often playful, so it is much less formal than distinguished gentleman.
Opposites
Word family
- distinguish verb
- to tell one thing from another
- distinguished adjective
- respected for achievement or dignity
- gentleman noun
- a well-mannered man
- gentlemanly adjective
- polite and considerate, like a gentleman
Commonly confused: distinguished gentleman or distinctive?
distinguished gentleman vs distinctive
Distinctive means easily recognized as different, while distinguished means respected or dignified.
Practice
The chairperson introduced the guest as 'a distinguished gentleman'. What did she most likely mean?
Choose one answer.
Distinguished gentleman is a formal compliment for a respected, dignified man. The other options describe things the phrase does not imply.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “distinguished gentleman”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.