1
as in services
an act of kind assistance
did me the courtesy of loaning me his jacket
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gestures
an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners
the greeting "How are you?" is often intended as no more than a courtesy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of courtesies
Small courtesies keep big efforts moving forward.
—
Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Leonora measures out her days in courtesies and slights, the former dominating the beginning of the book, the latter rapidly gaining ground.
—Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Leonora measures out her days in courtesies and slights, the former dominating the beginning of the book, the latter rapidly gaining ground.
—Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courtesies
Noun
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Many readers may not be aware of the services that end-of-life doulas can provide.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
-
When books are written about Cook’s tenure as CEO, services will be at the center of it, and Apple TV will be at its core.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The show gestures at the classic targets of old-timey sexism, small-mindedness, and nativism—much of it embodied by Gasteyer’s scheming character—but only in the safest possible ways.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
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Such gestures have not stopped local lawmakers from considering statewide bans on data center development.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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One of the privileges of owning Wambolts is getting to watch what happens when people slow down and settle into that rhythm.—
Molly Guthrey,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
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The complete lack of descriptive wall labels for individual objects, still a matter of debate among the curators, according to Govan, privileges looking.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the days following Noem’s fall from the president’s graces and her termination, the pictures were taken down.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
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That’s especially powerful when millions, or even billions, of dollars are at stake, and when approval depends on staying in the government’s good graces.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Then His unveiled, sweet mercies show Life’s burdens light.—
Douglas Sytsma,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
But the Rockies were doing him favors, swinging early in counts and getting themselves out.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
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But those comparisons won’t do The White Lotus any favors, since Beef is more effective than that series’ second and third seasons in interrogating how exclusive locations sharpen class differences.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Courtesies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courtesies. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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