finishing-school
Deportment training institution
A finishing school is a private institution where young women from wealthy families are taught social graces, etiquette, and accomplishments like dancing and conversation—preparing them for elite society rather than careers.
The term now sounds dated, evoking an era when a woman's prospects depended on her refinement and marriageability: She attended finishing school in Switzerland.
Customs of polite conduct
- protocolPrescribed conduct rules
- decorumFitting social conduct
- courtesyRespectful, considerate behavior
- deportmentManner and conduct
comportment · propriety · civility · politeness · tact · graciousness · poise · savoir-faire
Smooth by rubbing
- cultivationFostering growth through care
- sophisticationCultured elegance and complexity
- eleganceRefined, graceful quality
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
class · taste · discernment · finesse · charm · style · grooming · elocution
Formally introduced young woman
- coming-outPublic declaration of identity
- presentationFormal display to viewers
- seasonYearly division or series
- cotillionFormal society dance event
ball · gala · matchmaking · courtship · chaperone · marriageable · heiress · dowry
Formal speaking skill
- needleworkThread-based textile craft
- embroideryDecorative stitching on fabric
- FrenchOf or from Paris's nation
- pianoKeyed percussion instrument
watercolor · dancing · penmanship · hostessing · deportment · music · literature · conversation
Exclusive right or benefit
- exclusivityState of being limited
- upper-classSocially and economically privileged
- prestigeReputation commanding admiration
- aristocracyRule by hereditary elite
nobility · gentry · blue-blooded · snobbery · entitlement · affluence · elite · patrician
manners
Customs of polite conduct
- protocolPrescribed conduct rules
- decorumFitting social conduct
- courtesyRespectful, considerate behavior
deportment · comportment · propriety · civility · politeness · tact · graciousness · poise · savoir-faire · genteelness
polish
Smooth by rubbing
- cultivationFostering growth through care
- sophisticationCultured elegance and complexity
- eleganceRefined, graceful quality
grace · class · taste · discernment · finesse · charm · style · grooming · elocution · posture
debutante
Formally introduced young woman
- coming-outPublic declaration of identity
- presentationFormal display to viewers
- seasonYearly division or series
cotillion · ball · gala · matchmaking · courtship · chaperone · marriageable · heiress · dowry · betrothal
elocution
Formal speaking skill
- needleworkThread-based textile craft
- embroideryDecorative stitching on fabric
- FrenchOf or from Paris's nation
piano · watercolor · dancing · penmanship · hostessing · deportment · music · literature · conversation · letter-writing
privilege
Exclusive right or benefit
- exclusivityState of being limited
- upper-classSocially and economically privileged
- prestigeReputation commanding admiration
aristocracy · nobility · gentry · blue-blooded · snobbery · entitlement · affluence · elite · patrician · well-connected
finishing-schoolvocational school
Job-skills training institution
trade school · technical college · apprenticeship · vocational training · nursing school
finishing-schoolreform school
Institution for young offenders
industrial school · charity school · community college · reformatory · borstal
finishing-schoolacademy
Institution of learning
graduate school · seminary · conservatory · medical school · law school
finish, finished, unfinished, finishing, finisher, finishers, refinish, refinished, refinishing