courteous
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See civil.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of courteous
1225–75; court + -eous; replacing Middle English co ( u ) rteis < Anglo-French; court, -ese
Explanation
If you are courteous, your good manners show friendliness and concern for others, like your courteous habit of holding the door for people entering a building with you. The adjective courteous comes from the Old French word curteis, which means “having courtly bearing or manners.” Courtly described the court — nobles who hung around the castle, the entourage of kings and queens. Their refined manners, not to mention their wealth and power, set them apart from the masses. So courteous behavior is a reminder of the value of good manners.
Vocabulary lists containing courteous
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Be Nice!
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"All I can say about the boy is, having met him on a few occasions, he was a very courteous young man and quite a serious young man," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
“He was a gentleman, very courteous, very receptive,” Salazar said.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
Warren Buffett is normally courteous, but he had some choice words for critics of stock buybacks a few years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Another took a similar courteous tone: “Erica, queen of them all… please let the mister give it one more go!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
As one limping man to another, old Zooey, let’s be courteous and kind to each other.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
