polite

adjective po·lite \ pə-ˈlīt \

Definition of polite

politer; politest

1 a :of, relating to, or having the characteristics of advanced culture

b :marked by refined cultural interests and pursuits especially in arts and belles lettres

2 a :showing or characterized by correct social usage

b :marked by an appearance of consideration, tact, deference, or courtesy

c :marked by a lack of roughness or crudities

polite literature

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politely

adverb

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politeness

noun

See polite defined for English-language learners

See polite defined for kids

Examples of polite in a Sentence

It was polite of him to hold the door for them.
Please be polite to the guests.
It isn't polite to interrupt people when they're talking.
She received some polite applause despite the mistakes in her performance.

Recent Examples of polite from the Web

More than 200 supporters and opponents of the change packed the commission chamber and the adjoining lobby, with most of the approximately 100 speakers generally spirited but polite.

— Washington Post, "Florida city votes to strip Confederate names from streets," 30 Aug. 2017
That’s a polite way of saying more and more Americans are turning to the Hallmark Channel for relief from the daily news cycle.

— heather long, kansascity, "The feel-good Hallmark Channel is booming in the age of Trump," 21 Aug. 2017
Challenged by Murray during a confirmation hearing last week about his views on the administration’s proposals, Giroir’s replies were polite, cooperative — and unrevealing.

— rachel bluth, Kaiser Health News, "Senate Democrats Delay HHS Nominee Over Women’s Health Funding," 10 Aug. 2017
So, yes, the Obamas just raised the bar in polite invitation declines.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Someone Invited the Obamas to Her Wedding and They Actually Responded," 2 Aug. 2017
Beckham is unfailingly polite, chatty, and sparklingly witty, the first to deflate any sense of importance others might attach to her.

— donna freydkin, Allure, "Victoria Beckham Wore a Totally Chill Outfit and I'm So Confused," 26 July 2017
Michael Bond was the genial British author who created Paddington Bear, the polite, good-natured but disaster-prone little hero of some 20 books, a television series and a feature film.

— kansascity, kansascity.com, "Final Chapters: Michael Bond, Michael Nyqvist, Geri Allen, Anthony Young," 1 July 2017
But, after an almost perfumey first bite, there was a pleasant, subtle heat to the beef and the bread held up extremely well to a perhaps slightly too polite dipping.

— phil arvia, Daily Southtown, "Italian beef: Sizing up the Southland's favorite sammie," 29 June 2017
Whatever intelligence the Trump administration had to show was enough to engender polite and cooperative responses from Britain and France.

— heather hurlburt, Daily Intelligencer, "Nothing About the White House’s Syria Announcement Was Normal," 28 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'polite.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of polite

Middle English (Scots) polit, Latin politus, from past participle of polire

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1500

See Words from the same year

polite Synonyms

Synonyms

civil, courteous, genteel, gracious, mannerly, well-bred

Antonyms

discourteous, ill-bred, ill-mannered, impolite, inconsiderate, mannerless, rude, thoughtless, uncivil, ungenteel, ungracious, unmannered, unmannerly

Near Antonyms

heedless, inconsiderate, thoughtless; audacious, bold, bold-faced, brash, brassy, disrespectful, impertinent, impudent, insolent, lippy, saucy, shameless; boorish, churlish, clodhopping, clownish, loutish, uncouth, vulgar; casual, informal, unceremonious; improper, inappropriate, incorrect, indecent, indecorous, uncalled-for, unrespectable, unseemly; arrogant, conceited, presuming, presumptuous, pretentious

Synonym Discussion of polite

civil, polite, courteous, gallant, chivalrous mean observant of the forms required by good breeding. civil often suggests little more than the avoidance of overt rudeness.

- owed the questioner a civil reply

polite commonly implies polish of speech and manners and sometimes suggests an absence of cordiality.

- if you can't be pleasant, at least be polite

courteous implies more actively considerate or dignified politeness.

- clerks who were unfailingly courteous to customers

gallant and chivalrous imply courteous attentiveness especially to women. gallant suggests spirited and dashing behavior and ornate expressions of courtesy.