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Here is what I find interesting about this word. It's meaning keeps changing over time, effectively downgrading the expectations of a gentleman to reflect societies changing expectations (lowering expectations).

The first use and meaning of "gentleman" is number 1 below, which is completely obsolete and out of use for about 200 years.

Numbers 2 through 4 are still in use with older generations today, but are foreign concepts to young people under 30 IMO.

People under 30 today don't (IMO) even know what a gentleman is, but the word still exists and the Andrew Dice Clay joke about it reflects a funny, and possibly realistic new standard of what a young gentleman is today. It's sad, but also funny too. May as well enjoy the laughs where we can.

1) A man who is gentry, nobility (but not royalty), upperclass.

2) A civilized, educated, sensitive, well-mannered man AND he has high social standing. That's a high standard. Probably the standard back in the days of my great grandparents and before.

3) Since lowered to mean any of the qualities of number 2, but no longer requires all of them.

4) A man of good behavior who is considerate of others. This is the definition my grandmother taught me.

5) A modern "gentleman" today is (as the trend continues) held to a lower, ever more modest standard than before.

I'll give a couple examples of a modern day young "gentleman".

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