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I wonder what gentlebeing means and how it is used, especially when compared to similar phrases like Ladies and gentlemen!

I saw Gentlebeings! being used at the beginning of an email. Is it a formal or informal word, and does it have any sarcastic or humorous connotation to it?

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It's not an accepted word (at least not yet), but an attempt (semi-humorous, at a guess), to find an appropriate salutation for a group of people, some of whom may object to "Ladies and Gentlemen". People have been attempting this for years, without noticeable success: "Gentlebeings", though harmless, has too much of a science-fiction flavour to catch on generally, I would say.

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    Thanks! Why would some object to "Ladies and Gentlemen"?
    – Tim
    Commented Sep 18, 2011 at 21:29
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    Some women object to being called "Ladies", perhaps because of the stereotype of "ladylike behaviour". Others object to unnecessary distinctions in language between men and women; for example it has become common to use "an actor" as a general term instead of calling about half of them "an actress".
    – Henry
    Commented Sep 18, 2011 at 23:23
  • Others object to the notion of a gender binary.
    – daxelrod
    Commented Nov 6, 2011 at 2:43
  • But this word is a step beyond mere gender. If we wanted a word that included males and females, it would be something like "gentlefolk". "Gentlebeings" is deliberately designed to include not only humans, but representatives of any and all non-human species who may be present. All human beings, and all alien beings: gentlebeings all.
    – Algernon_Asimov
    Commented Feb 11, 2014 at 12:46
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SF flavour is right, it's been used by Anne McCaffrey (in one of the Brain Ships novels), Larry Niven (Fallen Angels), Alan Dean Foster (Flinx books), Gordon Dickson (Hokas Pokas), Keith Laumer (Odyssey), Doohan & Stirling (The Privateer), John Ringo (There Will be Dragons) and Poul Anderson (Flandry) to name but a few.

I imagine it's connected with Shakespeare's "Gentles" (Henry IV & V, A Midsummmer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew) which might be more acceptable to non-fen. ["Fen" is the plural of fan in the speech of SF aficionados.]

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    helpful information on the SF usage. But can you source the connection with Shakespeare or is that just your conjecture?
    – virmaior
    Commented Feb 11, 2014 at 16:23
  • Isn't 'fan/fen' also sexist then? What about 'wofan/wofen'? [pronounced wufan/wiffin]
    – chasly - supports Monica
    Commented Sep 13, 2015 at 1:26
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"Gentlebeings" is an informal word which is widely used in science fiction works. It is deliberately designed to include not only humans (of both genders), but representatives of any and all non-human species who may be present. All human beings, and all alien beings: gentlebeings all.

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