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/d͡ʒɛnˈtiːl/ · adjective
Affectedly proper or refined; somewhat prudish refinement; excessively polite..
Genteel America was handicapped by meagerness of soul, thinness of temper, paucity of talent.
Indeed I would advise every ſingle lady, if poſſible, to attend her inamorato, pretty frequently at the card table; and however genteel and agreeable his behaviour should be to herſelf, if he is haſty or pettiſh with any one else in company, she may depend on the ſame fate when once the knot is tied.
Use genteel when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Genteel means Affectedly proper or refined; somewhat prudish refinement; excessively polite..
Common synonyms include refined, cultivated, civilized, cultured.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
Genteel America was handicapped by meagerness of soul, thinness of temper, paucity of talent.
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