courtly
Americanadjective
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polite, refined, or elegant.
courtly manners.
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flattering; obsequious.
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noting, pertaining to, or suitable for the court of a sovereign.
adverb
adjective
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of or suitable for a royal court
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refined in manner
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ingratiating
Other Word Forms
- courtliness noun
Etymology
Origin of courtly
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.
“Eastward, Westward” is the opposite of congratulatory: It is courtly and self-effacing.
That Rococo quartet, completed in 1755, is a survey in the soft opulence of the style, filled with idealized nature, rich fabrics and scenes of courtly romance.
Here, onstage at the Paradise club in Boston, his singing has a courtly charm that makes “She’s Got a Way” feel like Joel’s version of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed.”
From Los Angeles Times
“Irresistible” might be set in the period we know as the Victorian era, and there are royals and attendant paraphernalia, but lovers of polite courtly romances might want to steer clear.
From Los Angeles Times
The courtly gentleman guided women around the floor to big band standards with all the aplomb of teenage boys waltzing at a cotillion dance they’ve been forced to attend by their parents.
From Salon
Definitions 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.
