courteous

[ kur-tee-uhs ]
See synonyms for: courteouscourteouslycourteousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. having or showing good manners; polite.

Origin of courteous

1
1225–75; court + -eous; replacing Middle English co(u)rteis<Anglo-French; see court, -ese

synonym study For courteous

See civil.

Other words for courteous

Other words from courteous

  • cour·te·ous·ly, adverb
  • cour·te·ous·ness, noun
  • o·ver·cour·te·ous, adjective
  • o·ver·cour·te·ous·ly, adverb
  • o·ver·cour·te·ous·ness, noun
  • pseu·do·cour·te·ous, adjective
  • pseu·do·cour·te·ous·ly, adverb
  • qua·si-cour·te·ous, adjective
  • qua·si-cour·te·ous·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use courteous in a sentence

  • Courteousness is peculiarly suited to their age and sex, and particularly expected of them.

  • And now they treated him with that courteousness of manner which success in life always begets.

    Phineas Finn | Anthony Trollope
  • He had no liking for general society, though his natural courteousness made him shrink from seeming ungracious.

    Life of John Coleridge Patteson | Charlotte M. Yonge
  • "My blessing upon you, O Ròn," he said, with the good kind courteousness that was his.

  • Personally he possesses charming, agreeable manners and Chesterfieldan courteousness, which vastly contributes to his popularity.

    The Merry-Go-Round | Carl Van Vechten

British Dictionary definitions for courteous

courteous

/ (ˈkɜːtɪəs) /


adjective
  1. polite and considerate in manner

Origin of courteous

1
C13 corteis, literally: with courtly manners, from Old French; see court

Derived forms of courteous

  • courteously, adverb
  • courteousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012