1
as in manners
speech or behavior that is a sign of good breeding
the little girl's politeness greatly impressed her teacher
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gesture
an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners
inquiring after his wife was a simple politeness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of politeness
The advice here is to stop overcommitting out of politeness.
—
Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 4 Jan. 2026
And yet, beneath the veil of politeness, there was rhetoric from the US president that suggests his default position in negotiations is still to pressure Kyiv, while appeasing Moscow.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Like Nighty Night, Such Brave Girls takes a sledgehammer to the flimsy framework of manners that keeps the British social construct (barely) hanging together, exposing the malice and envy that so often lie beneath the politeness.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2025
Not to mention, the city is extremely solo-diner friendly—counter seating is conducive to eating alone—and fully embraces the Japanese culture of hospitality and politeness.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
Charlotte is not faring much better, immediately picking up on her outsider status in this lily-white town, and the way her new neighbors offer only bare-minimum politeness.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Altman wasn't joking about the price of politeness.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Mathis quickly dropped the politeness and threw some jabs before expressing concern over Brown.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Usually, the question was couched in politeness, but my students (bless them) had not yet learned to be subtle.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 4 Jan. 2026
And yet, beneath the veil of politeness, there was rhetoric from the US president that suggests his default position in negotiations is still to pressure Kyiv, while appeasing Moscow.
—Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 29 Dec. 2025
Like Nighty Night, Such Brave Girls takes a sledgehammer to the flimsy framework of manners that keeps the British social construct (barely) hanging together, exposing the malice and envy that so often lie beneath the politeness.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 Dec. 2025
Not to mention, the city is extremely solo-diner friendly—counter seating is conducive to eating alone—and fully embraces the Japanese culture of hospitality and politeness.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
Charlotte is not faring much better, immediately picking up on her outsider status in this lily-white town, and the way her new neighbors offer only bare-minimum politeness.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Altman wasn't joking about the price of politeness.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Mathis quickly dropped the politeness and threw some jabs before expressing concern over Brown.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Usually, the question was couched in politeness, but my students (bless them) had not yet learned to be subtle.
—Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for politeness
Noun
-
Judith Martin's Miss Manners column has chronicled the continuous rise and fall of American manners since 1978.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
This Is the Way to Tea Party From setting the table to greeting guests, Cece teaches her friends how to use their best manners while enjoying a tea party.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At the end of Monday's live Atlas demonstration, the humanoid prototype swung its arms in a theatrical gesture to introduce a static model of the new product version of Atlas, which looked slightly different and was blue in color.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
Good care requires a level of presence and attentiveness that just can’t be scaled.—
Jen Zamzow,
The Conversation,
17 Dec. 2025
-
The company is aiming squarely at a traveler who wants the convenience of commercial routes but the comfort and attentiveness that usually come with chartering a jet.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
An important piece of cosmic intel or a unique insight could arrive courtesy of a friend.—
Magi Helena,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Bieber paired the mesmerizing dress with large statement 30-carat diamond studs, a few diamond rings courtesy of Lorraine Schwartz, and a pair of black open-toed heels.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a quixotic gallantry to appealing to a saner conservative and looking ahead to a post-Trump American politics.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Queen Elizabeth later awarded Beaton the George's Cross, Britain’s highest civilian award for gallantry, for his role in saving her daughter’s life, and bestowed honors on Callender, as well as the other policemen and onlookers who intervened.—
Bailey Richards,
People.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The clean double-breasted buttons instantly add elegance to your airport outfit, especially when paired with a matching Amazon Essentials Turtleneck and sleek black Libin Wide-leg Dress Pants to keep you warm and comfortable from takeoff to arrival.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
-
But the elegance in this quirky look did feel complicated, challenging even, to take in at first glance.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Sustainable strategy trumps transactional tactics Whatever personal chemistry—or at least, civility—Trump and Xi might establish won’t matter much if each country sees the other as the main source of the world’s problems.—
Christopher Smart,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
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An indictment of all Western Civilization for being a thin mask of civility and propriety failing to cover the ceaseless butchery beneath.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Kirschenheiter's engagement ring involved just as much thoughtfulness as the proposal.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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And to put it simply, the film does not work without the precision and thoughtfulness of Jordan’s performances.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Politeness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/politeness. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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