HUGO
  • home
  • C (Topics)
  • countries
  • cities
  • Dictionary
  • contact
  • list
  • quotes
  • A-Z
polite
Synonyms:

chivalrous, civil, courteous, courtly, cultivated, gallant, genteel, gracious, mannerly, poised, polished, urbane, well-bred.     

Related Words:

affable, amiable, attentive, considerate, cordial, deferential, friendly, gentle, neighborly, pleasant, respectful, sociable, sympathetic, thoughtful, well-behaved, well-mannered.

Antonyms:

discourteous, ill-bred, ill-mannered, impolite, inconsiderate, mannerless, rude, thoughtless, uncivil, ungenteel, ungracious, unmannered, unmannerly.

Synonym Study 1 (Dictionary.com):

Civil, affable, courteous, and polite all imply avoidance of rudeness toward others.

Civil suggests a minimum of observance of social requirements.

Affable suggests ease of approach and friendliness.

Courteous implies positive, dignified, sincere, and thoughtful consideration for others.

Polite implies habitual courtesy, arising from a consciousness of one's training and the demands of good manners.

Synonym Study 2 (Merriam-Webster):

Civil, polite, courteous, gallant, and chivalrous mean observant of the forms required by good breeding.

Civil often suggests little more than the avoidance of overt rudeness:
owed the questioner a civil reply.

Polite commonly implies polish of speech and manners and sometimes suggests an absence of cordiality:
if you can't be pleasant, at least be polite.

Courteous implies more actively considerate or dignified politeness:
clerks who were unfailingly courteous to customers.

Gallant and chivalrous imply courteous attentiveness especially to women. Gallant suggests spirited and dashing behavior and ornate expressions of courtesy:
a gallant suitor of the old school.

Chivalrous suggests high-minded and self-sacrificing behavior:
a chivalrous display of duty. 

Origin:

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin polītus, past participle of polīre “to polish”; see polish. Dictionary 2: C15: from Latin polītus polished; see polish. —Dictionary.com. //  First Known Use of polite: circa 1500. History and Etymology for polite: Middle English (Scots) polit, Latin politus, from past participle of polire. —Merriam-Webster.

Sources: 1, 2.

polite
adjective
synonyms
  • home
  • C (Topics)
  • countries
  • cities
  • Dictionary
  • contact
  • list
  • quotes
  • A-Z