genteel Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective satellite marked by refinement in taste and manners
    civilised; polite; cultured; civilized; cultivated.
    • cultivated speech
    • cultured Bostonians
    • cultured tastes
    • a genteel old lady
    • polite society

WordNet

Gen*teel" adjective
Etymology
F. gentil noble, pretty, graceful. See Gentle.
Definitions
  1. Possessing or exhibiting the qualities popularly regarded as belonging to high birth and breeding; free from vulgarity, or lowness of taste or behavior; adapted to a refined or cultivated taste; polite; well-bred; as, genteel company, manners, address.
  2. Graceful in mien or form; elegant in appearance, dress, or manner; as, the lady has a genteel person. Law.
  3. Suited to the position of lady or a gentleman; as, to live in a genteel allowance. Syn. -- Polite; well-bred; refined; polished.

Webster 1913