gentility
nounUS [ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ə.ɾi] · /ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ə.ti/
Etymology From Old French gentilité.
1
The state of being elegant, genteel, having good breeding, or being socially superior.
- 1967-1969, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure He is the violence and fear of the boy of my stories, yet the gentility and sensitivity of poetry.
- A powerful visitors’ bureau has pushed the South Carolina city to the top of “best” lists by selling gentility. Critics say that has come at the expense of history and the city’s Black population.2020 August 12, Tariro Mzezewa, Kim Severson, “Charleston Tourism Is Built on Southern Charm. Locals Say It’s Time to Change.”, in New York Times:
2
The upper classes, the gentry.
- Derived terms
- ungentility