Basic Details
Word: Gentleman
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A polite, kind and honourable man; also a polite word for any man, as in ladies and gentlemen.
Synonyms: nobleman, sir
How to Spell Gentleman
Syllables: gen - tle - man
Tricky part: It is gentle + man, so the e of gentle stays before man. The plural is gentlemen, with an e.
Watch out for: gentelman, gentlman, jentleman
Memory tip: A gentle man is a gentleman: join the two words and keep every letter.
Idioms and Phrases
- a gentleman's agreement: An agreement based on trust, not written down. Example: "The two shopkeepers had a gentleman's agreement not to cut each other's prices."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The old gentleman at the bus stop gave his seat to a tired mother.
Example 2: Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats; the play is about to begin.
Example 3: Rahul Dravid was often called the gentleman of Indian cricket.
Fun Fact
For over 150 years, English cricket had matches called Gentlemen v Players, between amateurs and professionals. The last one was played in 1962.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these compound words is spelt correctly. Choose it:
a) cubbord
b) grandfarther
c) handkercheif
d) gentleman
Show answer
d) gentleman. Grandfather has no r after the a, handkerchief has ie and cupboard has a p, so only gentleman is right.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
gent_em_n
a) e, a
b) i, a
c) l, o
d) l, a
Show answer
d) l, a. Gentle needs its l, and the end is man for one person.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The amenltgen in the grey coat bowed politely to the visitors.
a) nobleman
b) gentleman
c) statesman
d) gentlemen
Show answer
b) gentleman. With an a and just two e's, the letters spell the singular gentleman, not gentlemen.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the plural of gentleman?
a) gentlemans
b) gentlesmen
c) gentlemens
d) gentlemen
Show answer
d) gentlemen
2. Which word is the female counterpart of gentleman?
a) niece
b) lady
c) bride
d) nun
Show answer
b) lady
