polite
/pəˈlʌɪt
/adjective (politer, politest)
1Having or showing behaviour that is respectful and considerate of other people: they thought she was wrong but were too polite to say so...
- In the UK, and most of Europe, it is not considered polite to just say what you want.
- You could tell he didn't think much of my work, though he was far too polite to blurt it out.
- You could hand around evaluation forms, but many people are too polite to tell you what they really thought.
Synonyms
well mannered, civil, courteous, respectful, deferential, well behaved, well bred, gentlemanly, ladylike, chivalrous, gallant, genteel, cultivated, gracious, urbane, well brought up;
tactful, considerate, thoughtful, discreet, diplomatic
dated mannerly
1.1 [attributive] Relating to people who regard themselves as more cultured and refined than others: the picture outraged polite society...
- Over the years he built a pagoda to polite English society as it faded in the glare of post-war vulgarity.
- But lay into others and you should prepare to be visited by the vengeance of polite society.
- There are still some things that cannot be talked about in polite society.
Synonyms
civilized, refined, cultured, sophisticated, genteel, well bred, urbane, elegant, courtly
Origin
Late Middle English (in the Latin sense): from Latin politus 'polished, made smooth', past participle of polire.
Latin politus ‘polished, made smooth’ is the source of polite, with polish (Middle English) coming from the same root via French. Polite was originally used to mean ‘polished’, with the sense of something that is carefully finished and maintained being transferred to language and behaviour around 1500.