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 deal comes as technology companies ramp up spending on AI infrastructure and digital transformation, with Samsung SDS positioning itself to capture surging demand for artificial intelligence services.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
15 Apr. 2026
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The Google desktop app for Windows is available worldwide in English and works similarly to Spotlight on macOS, offering a system-wide search that pulls in results from other services alongside Google's own tools.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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His few lines of dialogue have a power that far exceeds their word count, but what speaks for Jeremy most of the time are his physical gestures, which blend blank detachment with willful ferocity.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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There is also a thoughtful kind of affection in the air that is less about grand gestures and more about shared understanding.—
Georgia Nichols,
Dallas Morning News,
11 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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Through favors and coercion, both couples vie for the approval of the elitist club’s billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh Jung), who struggles to manage her own scandal involving her second husband, Doctor Kim (Song Kang Ho).—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2026
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He was sentenced to five years in prison for his alleged part in a scheme to obtain funds from the government of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in exchange for political and diplomatic favors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Courtesies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courtesies. Accessed 16 Apr. 2026.
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