Gentleman

/ˈd͡ʒɛn.təl.mən/ · noun

Meaning

Any well-bred, well-mannered, or charming man..

Definitions by Sense

1. Any well-bred, well-mannered, or charming man.
2. (by extension; polite term of address) Any man.
3. (chiefly historical) A man of gentle but not noble birth, particularly a man of means (originally ownership of property) who does not work for a living but has no official status in a peerage; (UK law) an armigerous man ranking below a knight.
4. (derogatory) An effeminate or oversophisticated man.
5. (usually historical, sometimes derogatory) An amateur or dabbler in any field, particularly those of independent means.
6. (cricket) An amateur player, particularly one whose wealth permits him to forego payment.

Example Sentences

I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed.

As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish,[…]. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get.[…]I do not suppose that it matters much in reality whether laws are made by dukes or cornerboys, but I like, as far as possible, to associate with gentlemen in private life.

She wanted to go see a movie called Gigi, which I was not too thrilled about. But being a gentleman, I bit my tongue and said, “Okay.”

Please escort this gentleman to the gentlemen's room.

Being a gentleman, Robert was entitled to shove other commoners into the gongpit but he still had to jump out of the way of the knights to avoid the same fate himself.

And when their ſcattered armie is ſubdu’d: And you march on their ſlaughtered carkaſſes, Share equally the gold that bought their liues, And liue like Gentlmen in Perſea, […]

But when Adam delued, and Eue ſpan, VVho was then a Gentleman?

“[…] This is Mr. Churchill, who, as you are aware, is good enough to come to us for his diaconate, and, as we hope, for much longer; and being a gentleman of independent means, he declines to take any payment.” Saying this Walden rubbed his hands together and smiled contentedly.

Synonyms for gentleman

Antonyms for gentleman

Related Words

Word Forms

• gentlemen

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions