courtesy title

noun

a title applied or assumed through custom, courtesy, or association and without regard for its being officially merited.
a title allowed by custom, as to the children of dukes.

Origin of courtesy title

First recorded in 1860–65

Words Nearby courtesy title

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use courtesy title in a sentence

The term became in time a mere courtesy title but originally carried with it standing.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1 | Various
Just as the eldest son of a Duke bears a "courtesy title," so does the eldest son of a Marquis.
Book of Etiquette, Volume 2 | Lillian Eichler Watson
In the United States navy “commodore” was a courtesy title given to captains who had been in command of a squadron.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7 | Various
It is also given as a courtesy title to the senior officer of a squadron of more than three vessels.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7 | Various
I have called you my 'wife,' I know; but it has just been a courtesy title.
The Following of the Star | Florence L. Barclay

British Dictionary definitions for courtesy title

courtesy title

noun

any of several titles having no legal significance, such as those borne by the children of peers

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

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