as in courteously
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Recent Examples of politely
But Kane didn’t make that shirt and politely declined to comment on it.
—
Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
The experience was, politely stated, a rocky one.
—Jeff Pearlman, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
Matilda had asked, politely interrupting the beginning of what promised to be a windy narrative about the two sorry sons.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Listen politely and consider offering a compromise to address any concerns.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
In day care, dogs are introduced to a range of new experiences while also learning positive behaviors such as sitting calmly for a nail trim, greeting other dogs politely, or coming when called.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Kerr spoke for the first time on Tuesday, an hour or so before news of Kuminga’s new deal broke, answering only a few questions about the 22-year-old forward’s status before politely declining to answer anything else until the contract negotiations were settled.
—Nick Friedell, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The queen greeted this insane question with a politely regal stare, ignored my faux pas, and continued talking about financial inclusion.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Explain exactly what’s happening and then politely ask them to stop doing it, which is more effective than issuing a command, says Pamela Eyring, president of the Protocol School of Washington, which provides etiquette training programs.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
The experience was, politely stated, a rocky one.
—Jeff Pearlman, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
Matilda had asked, politely interrupting the beginning of what promised to be a windy narrative about the two sorry sons.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Listen politely and consider offering a compromise to address any concerns.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
In day care, dogs are introduced to a range of new experiences while also learning positive behaviors such as sitting calmly for a nail trim, greeting other dogs politely, or coming when called.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Kerr spoke for the first time on Tuesday, an hour or so before news of Kuminga’s new deal broke, answering only a few questions about the 22-year-old forward’s status before politely declining to answer anything else until the contract negotiations were settled.
—Nick Friedell, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
The queen greeted this insane question with a politely regal stare, ignored my faux pas, and continued talking about financial inclusion.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Explain exactly what’s happening and then politely ask them to stop doing it, which is more effective than issuing a command, says Pamela Eyring, president of the Protocol School of Washington, which provides etiquette training programs.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for politely
Adverb
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Many San Diegans would respectfully disagree.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Oct. 2025
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This shapes everything from knocking respectfully before entering a room to making complex medical choices with empathy.—
Prof. Dr. med. Mazda Farshad,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Minnesota court records show Diaz was civilly committed as mentally ill in January 2020, August 2021, July 2022 and June 2024.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
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LogoPowered byScale logo Democracy, at its core, is about people coming together to civilly govern themselves.—
Scott Levy,
Time,
8 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Percy looked up at the camera, shyly posing with his new look.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Politely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/politely. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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