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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The new special protective services unit would fall under the State Patrol and act as a clearinghouse for security for the Legislature, from coordinating the personnel to assessing threats.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Quixote’s fleet, lighting and grip, production supplies and communications rental services will continue in New York and Los Angeles.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This includes the importance of gestures such as going to retrieve from the family casket a pin that reproduces the British and American flags together, as well as those that actually fly on the streets of Washington.—
Giorgia Olivieri,
Vanity Fair,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The high five is one of the most universal gestures in sports.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Bruce, an airline worker, has hitherto handed off his plus-one flight privileges to Simon, who keenly exploits them to keep filming his globe-trotting doc.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
3 May 2026
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Steyer has proposed taking steps to ban all corporate spending in elections, even revoking the privileges of corporations that give to campaigns.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
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In fact, to remain in their good graces, using inflammatory language is obligatory.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
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But needing access to Chinese workers and customers also made Apple more reliant on the good graces of the Chinese government.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 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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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,
4 May 2026
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Netanyahu is charged with breach of trust, fraud and accepting bribes in three separate cases accusing him of exchanging favors with wealthy associates.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Courtesies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courtesies. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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