noun
gentry
JEN-tree/ˈdʒentri/
People of high social status below the nobility.
The local gentry own much of the land around town.
Etymology
Genterie named noble birth or aristocracy. In English, the quality of being well-born became a collective name for well-born people, later often restricted to people of means and leisure below the nobility.
In context
The Paston family of 15th century Norfolk, England, weren't royalty or even high nobility. They were ambitious gentry lawyers and landowners clawing their way up the social ladder.
More examples
- Her family belongs to the gentry but holds no noble title.
- The novel follows a young woman from the landed gentry.
- Wealthy merchants sometimes married into the gentry.
Forms
gentry
Similar words
- aristocracy
- Usually refers to hereditary nobility, rather than the class below it.
- elite
- Includes leading people in any field, not just social rank.