Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Raised to be well-mannered and refined.
  • adjective Born to parents considered to be of good stock. Used of animals.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Of good breeding; polite; cultivated; refined.
  • Of good breed, stock, or race, as a domestic animal. Compare half-bred, thoroughbred.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Having good breeding; refined in manners; polite; cultivated.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective well-mannered and refined because of a good upbringing and education
  • adjective of animals of good breed

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of good upbringing

Etymologies

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Examples

  • On Witte's tongue the phrase "incredibly well-bred man," which he used to describe the youthful Nicholas, became cutting invective.

    A Statesman For the Czar Jennifer Siegel 2011

  • Klein had 13 horses, three of them well-bred brood mares he bought from local thoroughbred man Curly Taylor.

    Heroes or Villains? 2010

  • Like how sometimes your friend has a new sweater in a particularly awful shade of puce that makes him/her look quite bilious, and when your friend asks, "How do I look in my pleasing new sweater?" you respond, if you are a well-bred person, "What a striking color that is!"

    Archive 2009-08-01 2009

  • I finished my soup and sandwich, turned up the volume on my iPod, then flipped through another book, looking for sites both Patrick and I would enjoy; after all, I was supposed to be introducing him to things that “a well-bred person should know.”

    Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die the Deep End of Fear Elizabeth Chandler 2011

  • “Spoken like the well-bred gentleman that you are,” Trent remarked.

    Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die the Deep End of Fear Elizabeth Chandler 2011

  • The well-bred Khawlah has won over a mile and finished third in the Group Three Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket and could throw down a challenge under Frankie Dettori.

    Bank on improving Mahbooba to lift UAE Oaks at Dubai carnival 2011

  • I finished my soup and sandwich, turned up the volume on my iPod, then flipped through another book, looking for sites both Patrick and I would enjoy; after all, I was supposed to be introducing him to things that “a well-bred person should know.”

    Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die the Deep End of Fear Elizabeth Chandler 2011

  • When Petrizzo took the plunge, he acquired well-bred Labs and sought education in animal training and behavior.

    High earners quit rat race to pursue a passion for animals 2011

  • “Spoken like the well-bred gentleman that you are,” Trent remarked.

    Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die the Deep End of Fear Elizabeth Chandler 2011

  • I finished my soup and sandwich, turned up the volume on my iPod, then flipped through another book, looking for sites both Patrick and I would enjoy; after all, I was supposed to be introducing him to things that “a well-bred person should know.”

    Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die the Deep End of Fear Elizabeth Chandler 2011

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