politer; politest
1
: having or showing good manners or respect for other people
Your children are very polite. [=they behave well with other people]
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.
He said he liked the show, but he was only being polite. [=he did not like the show, but he said that he did in order to show good manners]
When she called the painting "unique" that was just a polite [=nice] way of saying she didn't like it.
She received some polite applause despite the mistakes in her performance.
They had been fighting, but they were able to make polite [=civil] conversation at dinner.
2
always used before a noun
: socially correct or proper
polite speech [=somewhat formal speech that is not offensive and can be used in all situations]
Certain words should not be used in polite society/company. [=with people who value good manners]
Cite this Entry
“Polite.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/polite. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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