as in courteously
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Recent Examples of politely
The reporter politely persisted.
—
Brian Brant, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Celebrini and Smith mostly smiled, answered the questions, and politely complied with the request in a video that had close to 400,000 views as of early Wednesday.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
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
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
Brian Brant, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Celebrini and Smith mostly smiled, answered the questions, and politely complied with the request in a video that had close to 400,000 views as of early Wednesday.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for politely
Adverb
-
High tide timing varies up to 90 minutes earlier or later along the coast and throughout the Bay respectfully.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Even as tourists from around the world wander the cemetery, the Jiménez family treats the holiday as a sacred communion, inviting outsiders only to witness and participate respectfully.—
Rocío Muñoz-Ledo,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
He was found to be incompetent to face the charge in August 2023, and later civilly committed for a mental illness.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
7 Nov. 2025
-
In those cases, talking it over civilly may be enough to come to agreement.—
Jimmy Wales,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Victor is far closer to his mother, Claire (Mia Goth), a shyly nurturing soul, though not for long.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
28 Oct. 2025
-
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 12 Nov. 2025.
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