genteel
/dʒenˈtiːl/adjective
- polite, refined, or respectable, especially in an affected or ostentatious way so as to appear upper class彬彬有礼的, 优雅的(尤指假装斯文)。
派生词
genteelly
adverbgenteelness
noun词源
late 16th cent. (in the sense 'fashionable, stylish'): from French gentil 'well-born'. From the 17th cent. to the 19th cent. 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 cent.