From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgenteelgen‧teel /dʒenˈtiːl/ adjective 1 POLITEpolite, gentle, or graceful She broke into a genteel run.2 old-fashionedSSCLASS IN SOCIETY from or relating to a good social class —genteelly adverb
Examples from the Corpus
genteel• A bit more cultured, a bit more refined, a bit more genteel.• It was all genteel at first.• If you are genteel enough, that sort of imprecision is possible.• Dawson came from a genteel family.• It is easy to pretend that the values and standard of behaviour about which I am speaking are genteel or middle class.• The downtown has a genteel southern charm.• They are not for genteel walkers.Origin genteel (1500-1600) French gentil; → GENTLE 