Learn Greek › B1 › αγενής
αγενής
rude, impolite /a.ʝeˈnis/
adjectiveB1#1876 most common
Also: discourteous, ill-mannered, (archaic) low-born, ignoble
Example sentences
Ο άντρας ήταν αγενής.
The man was rude.
Μην είσαι αγενής μαζί μου.
Don't be rude to me.
Η σερβιτόρα ήταν πολύ αγενής απόψε.
The waitress was very rude tonight.
Θεωρώ αγενές να μιλάς με γεμάτο στόμα.
I consider it rude to talk with your mouth full.
Οι αγενείς παρατηρήσεις του με στενοχώρησαν.
His rude remarks upset me.
Η συμπεριφορά αγενών πελατών κουράζει τους υπαλλήλους.
The behavior of rude customers wears the staff down.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | αγενής (m/f) · αγενές (n) | αγενείς (m/f) · αγενή (n) |
| Genitive | αγενούς | αγενών |
| Accusative | αγενή (m/f) · αγενές (n) | αγενείς (m/f) · αγενή (n) |
| Vocative | αγενή (m/f) · αγενές (n) | αγενείς (m/f) · αγενή (n) |
Word family
αγένειαrudeness, impoliteness
αγενώςrudely
ευγενήςpolite, noble (antonym)ευγένειαpoliteness, courtesyγένοςrace, kind, gender
Etymology
The word comes from ancient Greek ἀγενής, built from the privative prefix ἀ- ("not, without") and γένος ("birth, stock, breeding"). In antiquity it meant "of low birth, ignoble." Over time the sense shifted from a judgment about ancestry to a judgment about manners, and today it simply means someone who acts without courtesy.
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