gentleman
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a man who is polite, honest, and treats other people with respect.
a man of refined manners and civilised conduct who adheres to high standards of propriety.
Simple“He was a true gentleman and offered his seat to the elderly woman.”
In context“The witness described the suspect as a soft-spoken gentleman who appeared entirely out of place in such a chaotic environment.”
Synonymsman of honourchivalrous manAntonymsscoundrelboor - 02 A2 Elementary
a polite way to talk about or address any man.
a polite or formal designation for a male person, frequently used in the plural as a form of address.
Simple“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our guest speaker for the evening.”
In context“The usher requested that the gentlemen remove their hats before entering the main sanctuary for the ceremony.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
a man from a high social class who does not need to work for money.
a man of high social status, specifically one of 'gentle' birth who owns property and does not engage in manual labour.
Simple“In the old novel, the main character was a gentleman who spent his days reading and hunting.”
In context“Under traditional English law, a gentleman was defined as an armigerous man ranking below a knight but above a yeoman.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
someone who does an activity for fun rather than as a job, often because they are wealthy.
an amateur participant in a sport or profession, historically distinguished from professionals who received payment.
Simple“He was a gentleman scientist who funded his own experiments in his basement.”
In context“The distinction between 'gentlemen' and 'players' in cricket historically separated wealthy amateurs from those who played for a wage.”
SynonymsamateurdabblerAntonyms
From Middle English gentilman, morphologically gentle + man, partial calque of Old French gentilhome.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.