as in graceful
having or showing elegance
his courtly manners made him a favorite escort of widowed socialites
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Recent Examples of courtly
When Elsbeth meets Alec (Ivan Hernandez) at a benefit (on the courtly arm of Dr. Yablonski, who has now popped up in each of Elsbeth’s three seasons to date), the aspiring mayoral candidate comes across as a Zohran Mamdani–inflected unifier.
—
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
And so, despite some emotionally satiating patriotic rhetoric on the campaign trail, Carney was deferential and complimentary to Trump on his courtly visit to the Oval Office shortly after winning the election.
—Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
The Tale of Genji ’s early chapters are rooted in fairy-tale monogatari, but the book soon metamorphoses into its own strange thing, a courtly romance that follows Prince Genji over his half century of life, and then, after Genji’s death, takes up the lives of the next generation.
—Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Not long after her wedding to Wu Ding, her father-in-law the king died, and the family was obligated to formally mourn and abstain from courtly life for three years.
—Literary Hub, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for courtly
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
And so, despite some emotionally satiating patriotic rhetoric on the campaign trail, Carney was deferential and complimentary to Trump on his courtly visit to the Oval Office shortly after winning the election.
—Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
The Tale of Genji ’s early chapters are rooted in fairy-tale monogatari, but the book soon metamorphoses into its own strange thing, a courtly romance that follows Prince Genji over his half century of life, and then, after Genji’s death, takes up the lives of the next generation.
—Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025
Not long after her wedding to Wu Ding, her father-in-law the king died, and the family was obligated to formally mourn and abstain from courtly life for three years.
—Literary Hub, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for courtly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courtly
Adjective
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Your graceful mindset calms tension, while a tidy workspace restores focus and keeps cooperation smooth.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
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Which is how Tabebuia Umbellata, the graceful little tree with the butter-yellow blossoms, came to help glorify springtime in Orlando.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Alas, most perennials and biennials will develop into handsome plants this year if started by seed, but few will blossom before next year.—
Henry Homeyer,
The Providence Journal,
13 Mar. 2026
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James was six years older than Trish, adventurous and handsome, their parents’ favorite.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Taylor’s voice, as guileless and elegant as ever, ties together what could have been a random-feeling assemblage of tunes in a silky bow.—
Molly Mary O’Brien,
Pitchfork,
14 Mar. 2026
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The pair, who make up the Penrose Tilbury design firm, set out to reimagine this older structure as an elegant but comfortable home.—
Annabelle Dufraigne,
Architectural Digest,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Most babies will be fine, so no need to stress over the small stuff, and don’t let people pressure you into doing anything.—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
16 Mar. 2026
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The 15 minutes Cowan has averaged over his last two games is fine.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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When Andrew was stripped of his royal titles, and he and Fergie were ordered to vacate Royal Lodge, Beatrice and Eugenie maintained their titles and were still invited to spend Christmas with the family at Sandringham.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
17 Mar. 2026
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Since that time, Kate has been busy attending various events and official royal outings.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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More significant and symbolic than an ultimately gallant failure in Mumbai was the moment Harry Brook effectively dropped the World Cup with the last mistake of what has been the most turbulent period of his meteoric rise to become one of the best batters in the world.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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Tilt and the gallant escort was replaced by a boy too traumatized to leave his mother’s side.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Courtly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courtly. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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