1
as in courtesies
an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners
"how are you" is merely a social pleasantry
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in jokes
something said or done to cause laughter
his after-dinner speeches usually include the sort of gentle pleasantry that raises a chuckle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pleasantries
The two exchanged a handshake and pleasantries before San Francisco's win over Atlanta on Sunday.
—
Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
The evening concluded with a celebratory toast and more pleasantries.
—Essence, 14 Oct. 2025
Those transactional elements can be handled automatically, so human interactions can focus more on personal touches, pleasantries and handling any glitches that come up.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
Then, as Chiefs receiver Juju Smith-Schuster extended his hand to exchange pleasantries, Branch reached out and struck him in the head, knocking the veteran WR to his knees.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Bryson DeChambeau and Tommy Fleetwood got into it on the 15th green, as caddies also began to share pleasantries following Justin Rose lining up a putt.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Lola Young isn’t one for pleasantries.
—Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
Food and merchandise are also in the offing The grounds also serve up pleasantries as part of the package of events.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Oregon-Northwestern and USC-Purdue officially kicked off the Big Ten’s conference schedule on Saturday, but things really heat up around the league in Week 4, with most of the nonconference pleasantries over with and the march to Indianapolis in full swing.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
The evening concluded with a celebratory toast and more pleasantries.
—Essence, 14 Oct. 2025
Those transactional elements can be handled automatically, so human interactions can focus more on personal touches, pleasantries and handling any glitches that come up.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
Then, as Chiefs receiver Juju Smith-Schuster extended his hand to exchange pleasantries, Branch reached out and struck him in the head, knocking the veteran WR to his knees.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Bryson DeChambeau and Tommy Fleetwood got into it on the 15th green, as caddies also began to share pleasantries following Justin Rose lining up a putt.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Lola Young isn’t one for pleasantries.
—Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025
Food and merchandise are also in the offing The grounds also serve up pleasantries as part of the package of events.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Oregon-Northwestern and USC-Purdue officially kicked off the Big Ten’s conference schedule on Saturday, but things really heat up around the league in Week 4, with most of the nonconference pleasantries over with and the march to Indianapolis in full swing.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleasantries
Noun
-
Leonora measures out her days in courtesies and slights, the former dominating the beginning of the book, the latter rapidly gaining ground.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Of course, not all jokes can be so easily divided into these categories.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Nov. 2025
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Plus, under the watchful eyes of veteran host Casey Wilson and newbie Andrew Rannells, the jokes never stop in the tent, as seen in another clip.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
While a regular trackpad responds only to simple taps, the Trackpad Pro detects different levels of force, recognizes gestures, and delivers a consistent zero-latency response across its entire surface.—
Maryna Holovnova,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
-
And there's always Google Translate and hand gestures to get you through.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Reporters let out a few more laughs before trying to move on to questions about Sunday’s game, but McDaniel interrupted to explain his joke even further.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
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Prefer some laughs instead before Christmas?—
Caitlin White,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Boys in blue training kits gather in pockets of shade and trade wisecracks.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
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Nearly every inch of the bar’s narrow interior is plastered with glowing beer logo signs, neon strip lights and posters jeering with bawdy bar jokes and wisecracks.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Nash had an unorthodox solution to Goldberg’s giggles.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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To her credit, Shannon shakes off the incipient paranoia and goes hard into the giggles at anything and everyone at the table.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps the only thing Gore Vidal enjoyed more than dispensing witticisms—or sipping a Macallan single malt—was being photographed.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
27 Sep. 2025
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Batemen gets a few moving monologues, but Vince’s heavier dose of morbid witticisms aren’t enough to overcome his pervasive selfishness and abominable behavior (nor is a late-arriving revelation about his past).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pleasantries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleasantries. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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