polite
adjective /pəˈlaɪt/
/pəˈlaɪt/
(comparative politer, superlative politest)
more polite and most polite are also common- having or showing good manners and respect for the feelings of others synonym courteous
- polite to somebody Please be polite to our guests.
- Our waiter was very polite and helpful.
- We were all too polite to object.
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesa2- She was scrupulously polite to him.
- If you just go and ask in a polite way, you might get what you want.
- In Western culture, it is polite to maintain eye contact during conversation.
- Reviewing someone's first novel, it is customary to be polite about it, to find things to praise in it.
- He was unfailingly polite. I never saw him in his life be rude to a fan.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- sound
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- to
- socially correct but not always sincere
- I don't know how to make polite conversation.
- The performance was greeted with polite applause.
- She greeted me with a quick hello and a polite smile.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- sound
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- to
- [only before noun] from a class of society that believes it is better than others
- ‘Bum’ is not a word we use in polite company.
- The scandal outraged polite society.
Word Originlate Middle English (in the Latin sense): from Latin politus ‘polished, made smooth’, past participle of polire.