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

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

Indeed, courtesy titles of any kind are in danger of disappearing. —Miss Manners | Judith Martin, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Aug. 2023

Smith, who grew up in Colorado Springs and uses a gender-neutral courtesy title. —Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for courtesy title

• entitle
• recital
• subtitle
• vital