politelyadverb
uk/pəˈlaɪt.li/us/pəˈlaɪt.li/B1 in a polite way:
He told them politely to leave him in peace.
without enthusiasm:
The audience clapped politely.
More examples
- The waiter smiled politely as he handed me my bill/handed my bill to me.
- "Where are we going?" he inquired politely.
- Very politely the little boy asked if he might have another piece of cake .
- He sensed that his guests were bored, although they were listening politely.
- He smiled politely as Mary apologized for her drunken friends.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Polite and respectful
- chivalrous
- chivalry
- civil
- civility
- civilized
- civilly
- courtly
- couth
- deferential
- euphemism
- gallant
- gentlemanly
- gracious
- keep a civil tongue in your head idiom
- polite
- politically correct
- refined
- respect
- respectful
- respectfully
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Lacking interest and enthusiasm