gentleman
gentleman Lexical Profile
gentleman Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety and consideration for others.
"He proved himself a true gentleman by offering his seat to the elderly passenger."
A polite or formal term of reference or address for any man, often used in the plural when addressing an audience.
"The receptionist directed the gentleman in the waiting room to the third floor."
A man of good family, breeding, or high social position, historically ranking below the nobility and entitled to bear a coat of arms, or having independent wealth that frees him from working for a living.
"In nineteenth-century novels, the protagonist often aspires to the status of a country gentleman."
• Rhymes for gentleman
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in Middle English as a calque of Old French gentilz hom ('nobleman'), combining gentle (from Latin gentilis, 'of the same family or clan, well-born') and man. Originally designating a man of noble birth ranking just below a knight, the sense gradually broadened to emphasize refined conduct and moral character rather than ancestry.