courtesy title
noun
1
: a title (such as "Lord" added to the Christian name of a peer's younger son) used in addressing certain lineal relatives of British peers
2
: a title (such as "Professor" for any teacher) taken by the user and commonly accepted without consideration of official right
Examples of courtesy title in a Sentence
the courtesy titles “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Ms.,” “Dr.,” etc.
As a child, he was taught to address his elders with the courtesy titles “sir” and “ma'am.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Prince Andrew stripped of titles, pushed out of royal home, palace confirms
Meanwhile, Beatrice and Eugenie's mother and Windsor's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, has already ceased using her Duchess of York courtesy title.
—
Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Royal styling dictates that former wives of peers can keep their courtesy title by placing their first name before it.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Even though the couple divorced in 1996, the London native had continued to use Duchess of York as a courtesy title throughout her professional pursuits.
—Karu F Daniels, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
However, they were offered courtesy titles by the Queen when they were born.
—Alex Apatoff, People.com, 15 July 2025
Entries cover guidance on punctuation and semantics, but also offer instruction around The Times’s specific practices, such as the paper’s stance on courtesy titles and how numbers should be rendered in headlines.
—Sara Aridi, New York Times, 2 May 2025
While Peter and Zara were not entitled to royal status by birth, Queen Elizabeth extended a courtesy title to Anne’s children, which her daughter politely declined in the hope of providing a more normal childhood.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 21 Dec. 2023
Now granted the courtesy title of Lady, Victoria wore a custom version of her brand’s top-selling Bela dress in navy for the occasion.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
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Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Royal styling dictates that former wives of peers can keep their courtesy title by placing their first name before it.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Even though the couple divorced in 1996, the London native had continued to use Duchess of York as a courtesy title throughout her professional pursuits.
—Karu F Daniels, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
However, they were offered courtesy titles by the Queen when they were born.
—Alex Apatoff, People.com, 15 July 2025
Entries cover guidance on punctuation and semantics, but also offer instruction around The Times’s specific practices, such as the paper’s stance on courtesy titles and how numbers should be rendered in headlines.
—Sara Aridi, New York Times, 2 May 2025
While Peter and Zara were not entitled to royal status by birth, Queen Elizabeth extended a courtesy title to Anne’s children, which her daughter politely declined in the hope of providing a more normal childhood.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 21 Dec. 2023
Now granted the courtesy title of Lady, Victoria wore a custom version of her brand’s top-selling Bela dress in navy for the occasion.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Courtesy title.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courtesy%20title. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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