What is a genteel person?

Definition of genteel 1a : having an aristocratic quality or flavor : stylish. b : of or relating to the gentry or upper class a person of genteel upbringing. c : elegant or graceful in manner, appearance, or shape the genteel manners of an old southern gentleman. d : free from vulgarity or rudeness : polite.

Is genteel a negative word?

Genteel came into English as a second borrowing from French, this time with the meaning of “nice, graceful, pleasing.” In modern usage genteel has a negative connotation. An excellent example of someone to whom the word applies is Hyacinth Bucket in the British comedy series Keeping Up Appearances.

Is shabby a negative word?

shabby adjective (IN BAD CONDITION) looking old and in bad condition because of wear or lack of care: The man wore a long, shabby coat.

What does shabby mean synonym?

run down, down at heel, scruffy, uncared-for, neglected, dilapidated, in disrepair, ramshackle, tumbledown. dingy, seedy, slummy, insalubrious, squalid, sordid, mean, wretched, miserable. informal crummy, scuzzy, tacky, grungy, shambly, beat-up.

What is a genteel lady?

adjective. affectedly proper or refined; excessively polite. respectable, polite, and well-breda genteel old lady.

Is genteel a positive word?

Genteel is often largely negative, meaning free from what is low, vulgar, or connected with the uncultivated classes; polite is positive and active, meaning that one acts in a certain way. Polite has, however, a passive meaning, that of ‘polished’: as, polite society, polite literature.

Is shabby slang?

In modern slang, if you say something is “not too shabby,” you mean that it was good. You might compliment your brother by telling him his soda can sculpture isn’t too shabby. Definitions of shabby.

What is the opposite of the word shabby?

Opposite of scruffy or shabby in nature or appearance. attractive. clean. fine. splendid.

How do you use shabby in a sentence?

Examples of shabby in a Sentence The furniture was old and shabby. He wore a shabby coat. Her first apartment was pretty shabby. They complained about the shabby treatment they received at the hotel.

Can a man be genteel?

A genteel person is respectable and well-mannered, and comes or seems to come from a high social class.

What is the difference between gentle and genteel?

Gentle comes from the Latin word gentilis which means of the same family or clan, taking on the meaning of being mild-mannered in the fifteenth century. Genteel means refined, polite, well-bred. Genteel is an adjective, derived from the Middle French word gentil which means stylish, elegant, graceful, pleasing.