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discourteous

[dis-kur-tee-uh s]
See more synonyms for discourteous on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not courteous; impolite; uncivil; rude: a discourteous salesman.
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Origin of discourteous

First recorded in 1570–80; dis-1 + courteous
Related formsdis·cour·te·ous·ly, adverbdis·cour·te·ous·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

abrupt, boorish, brusque, cavalier, cheeky, churlish, crude, crusty, curt, disrespectful, flip, fresh, ill-mannered, impertinent, indelicate, insolent, oafish, offhand, rustic, sassy

Examples from the Web for discourteous

Historical Examples

  • What have I done that you should hold me in this light esteem, and give me these discourteous words?'

    Barnaby Rudge

    Charles Dickens

  • The relieved poet now had the floor as an apologist for his discourteous parrot.

    Whittier-land

    Samuel T. Pickard

  • If you are guilty of disgraceful acts, of discourteous words, who suffers?

  • They were not discourteous to Ned, but they took no interest in his suggestions.

  • "You do not have to be unkind or discourteous," continued the doctor's even voice.

    Rosemary

    Josephine Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for discourteous

discourteous

adjective
  1. showing bad manners; impolite; rude
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Derived Formsdiscourteously, adverbdiscourteousness, 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

Word Origin and History for discourteous

adj.

1560s; see dis- + courteous. Related: Discourteously.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper