genteel
adjective
[ dʒɛnˈtiːl ]
• characterized by exaggerated or affected politeness, refinement, or respectability.
• "her genteel upbringing"
Similar:
refined,
respectable,
polished,
decorous,
proper,
polite,
correct,
seemly,
well mannered,
well bred,
cultivated,
cultured,
sophisticated,
courteous,
ladylike,
gentlemanly,
civil,
elegant,
stylish,
urbane,
civilized,
courtly,
dignified,
gracious,
punctilious,
affected,
posh,
mannerly,
Origin:
late 16th century (in the sense ‘fashionable, stylish’): from French gentil ‘well-born’. From the 17th century to the 19th century the word was used in such senses as ‘of good social position’, ‘having the manners of a well-born person’, ‘well bred’. The ironic or derogatory implication dates from the 19th century.
