Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gentility

[ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ə.ɾi]

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.01 in modern English

Syllables: gen-til-i-ty
IPA: [ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ə.ɾi]

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The state of being elegant, genteel, having good breeding, or being socially superior.

Uncountable

noun

The upper classes, the gentry.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"1967-1969, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure He is the violence and fear of the boy of my stories, yet the gentility and sensitivity of poetry."
"A powerful visitors’ bureau has pushed the South Carolina city to the top of “best” lists by selling gentility. Critics say that has come at the expense of history and the city’s Black population."

Etymology

From Old French gentilité.

Origin

Source language: Old French

Word Breakdown

Root: gentilité

Regional Pronunciation

American English: [ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ə.ɾi]

Usage

Inflected Forms

gentilities (plural)

Derived Forms

ungentility

Synonyms

breeding genteelness

Rhymes With

facility stability disability liability inability credibility visibility sustainability eligibility instability vulnerability humility

Questions

How do you pronounce gentility?: The recorded pronunciation is [ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ə.ɾi].
What does gentility mean?: The state of being elegant, genteel, having good breeding, or being socially superior.
Where does gentility come from?: It is traced to Old French.

How to pronounce gentility

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gentility”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling ([ˌd͡ʒɛnˈtɪl.ə.ɾi]) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “gentility”.
Repeat and practice — Say “gentility” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.