courtesy

1 of 2

noun

cour·​te·​sy ˈkər-tə-sē 

British also ˈkȯ-

plural courtesies

1

a

: behavior marked by polished manners or respect for others : courteous behavior

b

: a courteous and respectful act or expression

2

a

: general allowance despite facts : indulgence

hills called mountains by courtesy only

b

: consideration, cooperation, and generosity in providing something (such as a gift or privilege)

also : agency, means

—used chiefly in the phrases through the courtesy of or by courtesy of or sometimes simply courtesy of

courtesy

2 of 2

adjective

: granted, provided, or performed as a courtesy or by way of courtesy (see courtesy entry 1)

made a courtesy call on the ambassador

Synonyms of courtesy

Noun

• kindness
• service
• privilege
• grace
• indulgence

Examples of courtesy in a Sentence

Noun

Civilized life cannot be sustained without hypocrisy. A certain moral code, a degree of courtesy and decorum, are necessary to keep our instincts under a modicum of control. —Ian Buruma, New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2006

Cara, who, courtesy of the cat, had a run in her leggings, picked up the phone in a panic … —Helen Schulman, Wigwag, November 1990

"Coffee, sir?" asked a sailor. I nodded, still chilled. The courtesy, the ordinariness of these men was in the context somehow curious. —Fred Reed, Harper's, September 1988

I tried to persuade him that all that Hamish Hamilton had attempted to do was to extend the kind of courtesies which cultural institutions thought to be his due. —Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987

They treated us with courtesy and kindness.

She did it as a courtesy, not because she had to.

Everyone knows each other here, so we won't bother with the usual courtesies.

They shook hands and exchanged courtesies before beginning their discussion.

Adjective

As the heir to an earldom, Stephen was obliged to pay a courtesy call on the British ambassador … —Ken Follett, The Man from St. Petersburg, 1982

Important visitors to the conference were provided with courtesy cars.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Les Olympiens reaffirmed their title credentials by responding with three straight wins, only to repeat their late home collapse against Toulouse before falling at Lille courtesy of an early Ethan Mbappe strike last Friday. —Jack Bantock, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025

Forecasters say the first snow storm of the season to take aim at major Northeast cities will dump several inches of snow over the weekend, followed by a bitter Arctic blast courtesy of the polar vortex. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025

Adjective

The findings are courtesy of the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) array, which is an optical interferometer that combines the light of six telescopes on Mount Wilson in California. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 Dec. 2025

Fineman’s bob was courtesy of stylist Takuya Yamaguchi, the same artist responsible for keeping Gracie Abrams’s ends even. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English corteisie, from Anglo-French curteisie, from curteis — see courteous

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1613, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing courtesy

• common courtesy
• courtesy call
• courtesy card
• courtesy phone
• courtesy title
• senatorial courtesy

Rhymes for courtesy

• curtesy
• discourtesy

Kids Definition

courtesy

noun

cour·​te·​sy

ˈkərt-ə-sē

plural courtesies

1

: courtly politeness

2

: a favor courteously performed

3

: a favor as distinguished from a right

a title by courtesy only