Thesaurus results for PLEASANTRIES

pleasantries

noun

plural of pleasantry

as in courtesies

an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners "how are you" is merely a social pleasantry

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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

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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 pleasantries Further, a separate gesture from De Paul that appeared antagonistic toward those supporters went uncaptured, as did Messi’s post-game maneuver to round up De Paul and Suarez, keeping them away explicitly from La Familia’s side of the stadium during post-game pleasantries. —

Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 While most were silent, the few who traded muted pleasantries hushed as the homeowners of the Silver Court Trailer Park commenced their meeting. —

Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 The two fellow Arkansas natives exchanged pleasantries for about three minutes before heading to lunch at the Cowboys’ in-house restaurant. —

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026 After Frankel stuffed Stacey on a point-blank shot from the slot due to a Boston turnover, Stacey engaged in pleasantries with a pile of Fleet sweaters in front of the blue paint. —

Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026 The All-Star walked from the end of the bench to near midcourt to flag down his coach and remind Bickerstaff that the Detroit Pistons had no interest in exchanging postgame pleasantries with the Charlotte Hornets after their 118-100 blowout win. —

Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2026 Flagg and James exchanged pleasantries before and after the game, shaking hands twice on the court. —

Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 5 Apr. 2026 Despite the intensity on the court, Staley and Auriemma have typically exchanged public pleasantries, complimenting each others' successes and importance to the women's game. —

ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026 Note that the service isn't particularly happy, helpful, or welcoming, but who has time for pleasantries when you're slammed all day? —

Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleasantries

Noun

Small courtesies keep big efforts moving forward.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.

— Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025