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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pleasantries
Beyond the system’s superficial tone and pleasantries, Martin and Souza had to contend with the serious issue of hallucinations, or instances in which AI systems confidently share false or exaggerated information.
—
Jared Perlo, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
At the end of the day, as my family shared pictures and pleasantries from our morning together, the group text really just wanted the casserole recipe.
—Brennan Long, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
After the game officially ended, players exchanged handshakes and pleasantries.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025
Back in October, Buster Posey expressed his disdain of opposing players exchanging pleasantries before games.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
Now as episode three hits the service, questions abound on the true nature of this joyous plague and the deep space transmission that caused all these annoying pleasantries.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025
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
Jared Perlo, NBC news, 3 Jan. 2026
At the end of the day, as my family shared pictures and pleasantries from our morning together, the group text really just wanted the casserole recipe.
—Brennan Long, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
After the game officially ended, players exchanged handshakes and pleasantries.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2025
Back in October, Buster Posey expressed his disdain of opposing players exchanging pleasantries before games.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
Now as episode three hits the service, questions abound on the true nature of this joyous plague and the deep space transmission that caused all these annoying pleasantries.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleasantries
Noun
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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
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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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Yes, as it is said, some jokes just write themselves.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
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Performers have been reprimanded for making racist, sexist and homophobic jokes during shows in the late 1990s and 2000s, according to Westword, and Stock Show officials were quick to apologize.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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These touching gestures reminded me that books were restorative, bringers of joy as well as knowledge.—
Kenneth Turan,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
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By integrating vision, audio, and language, IntEngine enables Nylo to coordinate speech, facial expressions, and gestures in real time.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Not all of the jokes work, but even the grumpiest theatergoers will find plenty of laughs.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
7 Jan. 2026
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But the comedians also used those laughs to reveal the fundamental absurdity of violence and conflict.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Chock-full of laugh-out-loud quips and wisecracks, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski and Cheryl Hines also join in on the fun in the boisterous 2017 sequel to the 2016 original Bad Moms.—
Lydia Price,
PEOPLE,
23 Dec. 2025
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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
Noun
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On Tuesday morning, the Oscar winner ended her Today interview with host Craig Melvin in giggles after making a simple mistake, confusing one TV network for another.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
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Your personality shines and your giggles are so contagious.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
21 Dec. 2025
Noun
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During Bloomberg’s pursuit of office, a 1990 booklet in which business colleagues had compiled his witticisms surfaced.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
1 Jan. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Pleasantries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleasantries. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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