1
as in gesture
an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners
"how are you" is merely a social pleasantry
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2
as in joke
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 pleasantry
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
Legislators and lobbyists in suits chat with families while a city councilman exchanges first-name pleasantries with constituents, young and old, in line.
—Robin Roenker, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pleasantry
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
Legislators and lobbyists in suits chat with families while a city councilman exchanges first-name pleasantries with constituents, young and old, in line.
—Robin Roenker, Southern Living, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pleasantry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleasantry
Noun
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With more than 15,000 employees, Tomasso has penned over 500 notes—and believes the small gesture has an outsized impact.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
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La Traverse wore a black velvet bow tie by Italian designer Mani del Sud featuring a metal rose as a nod to the gesture.—
Lex Goldstein,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There’s a joke in here somewhere.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
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Some Sora users depicted King making crude jokes and other inappropriate content.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Check out a first look at Deadwyler’s character, courtesy of HBO, below.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
17 Oct. 2025
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The show also featured a number of musical performances courtesy of TWICE, Karol G, Madison Beer and Missy Elliott.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Newlyweds Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco made their first appearance as a married couple at the event — sneaking off right after taking their carpet photos — while Demi Moore and Lucy Liu shared some laughs on the photo line, and Scorsese and Ben Stiller each brought their daughters as dates.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Oct. 2025
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Its interconnected tales, which evoke campfire stories and urban legends, wring morbid laughs and genuine scares in much the same fashion as Tales From the Crypt.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Jones eventually got into his joking bag, and Bleek took that opportunity to seriously set the record straight one last time.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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And their joking comments about their relationship never help the matter.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pleasantry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleasantry. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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