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
Etymology
Origin of courtly
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at court, -ly
Explanation
The word courtly has nothing to do with a basketball court or court of law. Rather, courtly things relate to royal courts: they're sophisticated and grand. Think about the pomp that surrounds a royal wedding in England, and you'll get a sense of the lavish, expensive, regal nature of courtly things. Nothing courtly is common, cheap, or average. Since kings like the finer things in life, courtly things are similarly extravagant and impressive.
Vocabulary lists containing courtly
Tolkien Reading Day, List 11
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Red, White, and Whole
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Howl's Moving Castle
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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.
See Examples For:
Amir Khusrau, an Indo-Persian poet who documented courtly life during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, mentioned two types of naans in his writings - naan-e-tanuk and naan-i-tanuri.
From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025
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.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
The life-size portrait he produced is a whiz-bang spectacle of courtly pomp and dynastic circumstance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2024
And he is seen as "the courtly gentleman of the Marble Palace," as Time Magazine described him.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2024
A courtly, white-haired man comes forward from behind his desk.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
In some ways, Gucci Mane is a holdover from this older, meaner era, which is one reason that a younger, courtlier peer like Drake is so eager to get his blessing.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 1, 2016
Mr. Kuhn favors a courtlier style, crisp and precise.
From New York Times ● May 15, 2016
His competitive instincts could overwhelm his gentler, courtlier ones.
From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2016
In comportment and style, Byrd often seemed a Senate throwback to a courtlier 19th century.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2010
I much prefer waiting upon Miss Polly Pepper to any other lady in the room," said Mr. Alstyne, with another bow, courtlier than the first, "since Mrs. Alstyne is provided for.
From Five Little Peppers Midway by Margaret Sidney
But Mr. Lovano gave it his courtliest treatment, caressing the wistful melody with a whispery, feathery grace.
From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2013
He is the most reticent of directors -- where the book ogles, the film discreetly observes -- and, here, the courtliest of stars.
From Time Magazine Archive
Gottfried von Cramm, who put Budge out in the semi-finals that year, greeted the Queen with the courtliest bow of the dav.
From Time Magazine Archive
The loftiest refinements of letters, the courtliest breeding, the most exquisite conventionalities, the most regal dignities of nature, are always present in these works, to measure these abysses, flowering to their brink.
From The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere Unfolded by Delia Bacon
"You are, indeed!" said Roger, as he offered his arm with his courtliest bow.
From Patty's Suitors by Carolyn Wells
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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.
