gentlefolk
People of breeding
Gentlefolk are people of good family and social standing—the well-bred upper classes.
The term is old-fashioned, evoking a time when birth and breeding determined social rank: The inn catered to gentlefolk traveling between estates.
The singular gentlefolk exists but is rare; the word typically refers to a class collectively.
Titled ruling class
- peerageSystem of noble ranks
- bluebloodsHereditary upper class
- patriciansHereditary ruling class
- highbornOf aristocratic birth
landed · hereditary · titled · manor · estate · lineage · ancestry · dukes
Showing good manners
- courteousShowing respectful consideration
- graciousPleasantly kind and courteous
- refinedPurified or cultured
- mannerlyHaving good social conduct
well-bred · decorous · civil · respectful · chivalrous · gallant · dignified · cordial
Superior select group
- upper-classSocially and economically privileged
- privilegedHaving special advantages
- affluentHaving abundant financial resources
- wealthyHaving abundant financial resources
prestigious · influential · fashionable · respectable · well-connected · drawing-room · salon · debutante
Of a prim era
- EdwardianOf early twentieth-century Britain
- RegencyProxy rule period
- antebellumBefore a war's start
- feudalOf tiered landownership
Having received formal instruction
- cultivatedImproved through nurture
- refinedPurified or cultured
- sophisticatedWorldly and cultured
- learnedHaving much knowledge
literary · artistic · erudite · intellectual · tasteful · discerning · worldly · cosmopolitan
nobility
Titled ruling class
- peerageSystem of noble ranks
- bluebloodsHereditary upper class
- patriciansHereditary ruling class
highborn · landed · hereditary · titled · manor · estate · lineage · ancestry · dukes · earls
polite
Showing good manners
- courteousShowing respectful consideration
- graciousPleasantly kind and courteous
- refinedPurified or cultured
mannerly · well-bred · decorous · civil · respectful · chivalrous · gallant · dignified · cordial · tactful
elite
Superior select group
- upper-classSocially and economically privileged
- privilegedHaving special advantages
- affluentHaving abundant financial resources
wealthy · prestigious · influential · fashionable · respectable · well-connected · drawing-room · salon · debutante · cotillion
Victorian
Of a prim era
- EdwardianOf early twentieth-century Britain
- RegencyProxy rule period
- antebellumBefore a war's start
feudal · medieval · Tudor · colonial · dowager · yeomanry · burgher
educated
Having received formal instruction
- cultivatedImproved through nurture
- refinedPurified or cultured
- sophisticatedWorldly and cultured
learned · literary · artistic · erudite · intellectual · tasteful · discerning · worldly · cosmopolitan · accomplished
- etiquettemanners, politeness, etiquette, table manners, courtesy
- upper classaristocrat, nobles, baron, baroness, baronet
- landed gentrysquire, lord of the manor, estate owner, landowner, country squire