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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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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King will also be responsible for enforcing the city’s contracts with Nebius, a Dutch artificial intelligence services company set to break ground later this year on a $150 billion AI data center in eastern Independence.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
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Carbyne, an Israeli tech startup for which Barak was a lead investor and board chairman, wanted to provide security services and anti-drone technology when Qatar hosted the soccer World Cup in 2022.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But maybe, to your point about gestures, gestures are pretty interesting.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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But the broadcast was filled with unmistakable gestures of love and support — from Guthrie, her colleagues and the studio audience outside.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Membership has its privileges, as Ogilvy’s memorable ad slogan for American Express went, and those privileges are of the monied variety.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
10 Apr. 2026
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Additionally, AAdvantage elite status members will lose their seat selection and upgrade privileges on Basic Economy fares.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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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
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Machado maintained his innocence to reporters postgame, but his history with the Red Sox did him no favors.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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The Mets scored three times in the second inning, with right-hander Landon Roupp’s defense doing him few favors.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Courtesies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courtesies. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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