1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

couth 1 of 2

adjective

ˈküth How to pronounce couth (audio)
Definition of couthnext
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

couth

2 of 2

noun

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
Noun
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
  1. civilized
  2. accomplishment
  3. cultured
  4. civilization
  5. manners
  6. culture
  7. refinement
  8. education
Adjective
  • From the week Vandell opened in early December, crowds have gathered outside its forest-green door and down its patch of Los Feliz sidewalk, waiting to join the civilized chaos inside.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • At least in civilized society, which is what Screencaps Nation is all about.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of civilized
Noun
  • Still, with all the aforementioned accomplishments, and decades later, Steinem said that her naysayers used her bunny work in an attempt to discredit her.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • To Morrison, as well as to the filmmakers, this awful backstory makes something cathartic of his accomplishment.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of accomplishment
Adjective
  • Fresh pasta made daily, like spaghetti with Burgundy truffles, cultured butter and parmigiano espuma or paccheri al Campagnolo with Maine lobster, tomatoes, capers and olives.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026
  • To determine whether there's a bacterial infection, that urine must be cultured.
    — Meghan Rabbitt, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of cultured
Noun
  • Compounding fears was a terrifying warning from a former AI executive last week that AI could end civilization within a decade and the tech companies aren’t doing enough about it.
    — S.E. Cupp, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Whether the result of natural disasters, shifting industries, or mysteries that remain unsolved, these places offer a haunting reminder of just how quickly civilization can be undone.
    — Charlotte Collins, Architectural Digest, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of civilization
Noun
  • The desire to fit in is a powerful instinct, one that is externalized to varying degrees in our manners and relationships.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • For players, the distinction between atmosphere and interference can be more than a matter of manners.
    — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of manners
Noun
  • Ambivalence is a story of solitude, patience, and faith—qualities that contemporary culture seems to militate against.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Tyrese Gibson and Cody Walker are building on Paul Walker’s legacy of philanthropy via this celebration of car culture.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of culture
Noun
  • That fixation on refinement is the show’s subject — and its method.
    — Henry Metz, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Initial concept development took place in 2023, followed by subsystem refinement and evaluation in 2024.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of refinement
Noun
  • Among the grants that were eliminated, frozen or delayed were ones related to maternal health in Michigan, education research in Mississippi and assistance to minority farmers in Iowa, the researchers found.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
  • For a woman who stopped her formal education after two years of high school, this was extraordinary.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of education

Browse Nearby Words

cousins
couth
couture
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Couth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/couth. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of churlish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All