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Gentleman vs Mister - What's the difference?

gentleman | mister |

As nouns the difference between gentleman and mister

is that gentleman is a well‐mannered or charming man while mister is mister (title conferred on an adult male), especially when referring to anglophones.

gentleman

English

Noun

(gentlemen)
  • A well?mannered or charming man.
  • A man of breeding or higher class.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman' s wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed.}}
  • *
  • *:As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish,I do not suppose that it matters much in reality whether laws are made by dukes or cornerboys, but I like, as far as possible, to associate with gentlemen in private life.
  • A polite term referring to a man.
  • :
  • *, chapter=7
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=“[…] This is Mr. Churchill, who, as you are aware, is good enough to come to us for his diaconate, and, as we hope, for much longer; and being a gentleman of independent means, he declines to take any payment.” Saying this Walden rubbed his hands together and smiled contentedly.}}
  • A polite form of address to a group of men.
  • :
  • Toilets intended for use by men.
  • (lb) A cricketer of independent wealth, who does not (require to) get paid to play the sport.
  • Amateur.
  • *2004 , Mary N. Woods, "The First Professional: Benjamin Henry Latrobe", in, Keith L. Eggener, editor, American Architectural History: A Contemporary Reader , (Routledge), electronic edition, ISBN 0203643682, p.119 [http://books.google.com/books?id=-dDKjSIDdksC&pg=PA119&dq=gentleman]:
    • Latrobe had extensive dealings with Jefferson, the most prominent gentleman- architect in the United States.

    Usage notes

    * The equivalent form of address to one man is (Sir).

    Synonyms

    * (toilets) gents (colloquial), little boy's room (colloquial), men's room

    Antonyms

    * (cricketer) professional, player (historical)

    Related terms

    * gentlewoman * gentlelady

    Derived terms

    * gentleman farmer * gentleman of leisure * gentleman scientist

    See also

    * lady * gentleman's agreement

    Statistics

    * English nouns with irregular plurals 1000 English basic words ----

    mister

    English

    Etymology 1

    Unaccented variant of

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Title conferred on an adult male, usually when the name is unknown. Also (often parent to young child) referring to a man whose name is unknown.
    • You may sit here, mister .
    Go and ask that mister if you can get your ball out of his garden.
  • * 1855 , George Musalas Colvocoresses, Four Years in the Government Exploring Expedition , J. M. Fairchild & co., page 358:
    • Fine day to see sights, gentlemen. Well, misters , here's the railing round the ground, and there's the paling round the tomb, eight feet deep, six feet long, and three feet wide.
  • * 1908 , Jack Brand, By Wild Waves Tossed: An Ocean Love Story , The McClure Company, page 90:
    • There's only three misters aboard this ship, or, rather, there's only two.
    Coordinate terms
    * (title of adult male) master, mistress, , Doctor

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To address by the title of "mister".

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) mester, (meister) (et al.), from (etyl) misterium, a medieval conflation of (etyl) .David Wallace, Chaucerian polity: absolutist lineages and associational forms in England and Italy , Stanford University Press, 1997

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) Someone's business or function; an occupation, employment, trade.
  • A kind, type of.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , I.ix:
    • The Redcrosse knight toward him crossed fast, / To weet, what mister wight was so dismayd.
  • (obsolete) Need (of something).
  • * :
    • And thenne the grene knyghte kneled doune / and dyd hym homage with his swerd / thenne said the damoisel me repenteth grene knyghte of your dommage / and of youre broders dethe the black knyghte / for of your helpe I had grete myster / For I drede me sore to passe this forest / Nay drede you not sayd the grene knyghte / for ye shal lodge with me this nyghte / and to morne I shalle helpe you thorou this forest
  • (obsolete) Necessity; the necessary time.
  • * :
    • It was by Merlyns auyse said the knyghte / As for hym sayd kynge Carados / I wylle encountre with kynge bors / and ye wil rescowe me whan myster is / go on said they al / we wil do all that we may

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete, impersonal) To be necessary; to matter.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.vii:
    • As for my name, it mistreth not to tell; / Call me the Squyre of Dames that me beseemeth well.

    Etymology 3

    .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A device that makes or sprays mist.
    • Odessa D. uses a mister Sunday to fight the 106-degree heat at a NASCAR race in Fontana, California.
    Derived terms
    * demister

    References

    Anagrams

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