Meaning & use
gentility
Refined, polite manners and behavior traditionally associated with the upper social classes.
See it in a sentence
The old hotel still had an air of faded gentility, with worn but elegant furniture.
She spoke with a gentility that made her seem out of place at the rowdy party.
A note on using this word
Gentility often carries a slightly old-fashioned or ironic tone, especially when describing a class status that has faded.
Words with a similar meaning
refinementpoliteness
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
crudeness
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