genteel

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This wasn’t “an argument between genteel parties in Congress,” William Hogeland writes in his history, The Whiskey Rebellion, “but…a guerrilla war on the country’s ragged margin, our first war for the American soul.”

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

This is simply Sheridan’s pitch for escaping New York, but in a genteel manner.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

The winner Talarico, who has a Master of Divinity degree from a Christian seminary, offered a more genteel approach.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Emails reveal the wealthy taking proxy measures of one another’s yachts and villas, showboating their riches in ways that make Tom Wolfe’s “Bonfire of the Vanities” look like a genteel glimpse into society mores.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

He knew nothing of that silent middle class that struggled between genteel poverty and the impossible desire of emulating the golden canaille to which he himself belonged.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende