GENTRY

[noun] [C + singular or plural verb] - the gentry people of high social class, esp. in the pastThe village used to hold an annual cricket match between the gentry and the manual labourers.At the time, the local gentry was/were resisting the changes.The rural gentry are strong fighters who will resist change.The French Riviera was made into a popular holiday resort by the British landed gentry (= those who own a lot of land).