as in civilized
having or showing a taste for the fine arts and gracious living
he's remarkably couth for someone who grew up in a small town with limited cultural opportunities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in accomplishment
a high level of taste and enlightenment as a result of extensive intellectual training and exposure to the arts
their future son-in-law's lack of couth was of some concern to this patrician couple
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of couth
Alexandra Hall, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 May 2023
Even some of Durant’s Warriors’ teammates manifested their artsiness in less-than-couth ways.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 June 2019
Noun
And a cluster of unquestionably lovely businesses have been bolstering the towns’ dreamy ideal since the ‘70s—couth spots like The White Barn Inn, and Ocean at The Cape Arundel Inn, both perfect for Muffy and Chip to get G&Ts between croquet and a dependably exquisite prix fixe.
—Alexandra Hall, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 May 2023
Even some of Durant’s Warriors’ teammates manifested their artsiness in less-than-couth ways.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for couth
Adjective
-
But the specific French dispensation—the idea that a man’s erotic life exists outside the moral world of his other obligations, that the wife and the mistress are a civilized arrangement, that desire is sovereign—this mythology did not make the crossing with me, or did not survive it intact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
The 2026 draft footprint stretched across Point State Park and Acrisure Stadium (still Heinz Field in the hearts of civilized people) and by the end of the weekend, the city had hosted one of the biggest football parties in human history.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And one of the true accomplishments of the Disney+ series’ creators Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest is that the answer was something no one would have ever guessed.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
11 May 2026
-
But, for both James and Dolan, perhaps their biggest accomplishments during the hiatus was giving up alcohol and getting healthy.—
Blair R. Fischer,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
The durable cultured marble top holds two ceramic undermount sinks.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In short, for the first time Tavira will be in the sights of the cultured, high-end traveler who at last has somewhere to lay their (well coiffured) head.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The harshness or relentlessness of weather can turn friends to lovers, can cause others to lose their minds, can provoke travel across continents, can cancel plans, can reroute rivers, can flood civilizations, can incite both panic and delight, can wash away a life’s work, can set fire to forests.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
Would a just and merciful God approve of daily bombing raids and threats to destroy civilian infrastructure, let alone a threat to destroy an entire civilization?—
Kenneth Seeskin,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
As for your wife’s objection, Miss Manners will point out that good manners need not mean being bulldozed by others.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
9 May 2026
-
Church’s combination of talent, affability, and fine manners eased his way into New York’s élite, sometimes inspiring envy among his painter friends.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Its ownership by Beijing Tourism Group explains the dedication to local art, design, and culture here.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
But the latest allegations have exposed persistent doubts about whether those reforms truly changed the culture of Capitol Hill, or merely altered the procedures surrounding misconduct complaints while leaving the underlying power dynamics largely intact.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
The Disappearing Path To Expertise Expertise is developed through repetition, failure and refinement, in the industry career path.—
Victor Fang,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Removing the thorns may help our favorite novels appeal to a wider audience, but such refinements make art feel as lifeless as Catherine Linton’s corpse at the end of Emerald Fennell’s film.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
When Bloomberg, a strong proponent of education reform, was seeking to increase the number of charter schools in the city, Jeffries co-sponsored a bill that more than doubled the state’s charter-school cap.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The bildungsroman was a staple of my school and college literary education.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Couth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/couth. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
