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
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
For any living room that could use a charming focal point, this number from MacKenzie Childs in its signature courtly check indicates style and design know-how.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 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
Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
For any living room that could use a charming focal point, this number from MacKenzie Childs in its signature courtly check indicates style and design know-how.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 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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The graceful coupe mixed style—just look at those gullwing doors—and performance like few cars before it, and few cars since.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Then the graceful roll of the ball with his studs smoothly took him past another two to shoot at goal.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
8 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
-
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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The Jockey Club operates under a royal charter — the King and Queen are its joint patrons — and all of its profits are reinvested in the sport.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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While nothing’s been confirmed, royal watchers have speculated that Elizabeth’s granddaughter-in-law Kate Middleton has her own intentional moves involving her bag placement.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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 17 Mar. 2026.
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