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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of politeness
This superficial politeness hinders effective decision-making, erodes accountability, and leaves teams ill-equipped for pressure.
—
Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
There’s a relief that comes with this territory for City, shaking off footballing politeness and slipping into those comfy only-for-home joggers.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
There’s a relief that comes with this territory for City, shaking off footballing politeness and slipping into those comfy only-for-home joggers.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for politeness
Noun
-
American elites aped European fashions, art, and manners, and Europeans admired American energy and efficiency.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Judith Martin's Miss Manners column has chronicled the continuous rise and fall of American manners since 1978.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But the gesture may be more symbolic than practical, since the ordinance could be difficult to enforce if passed, according to the county’s attorney.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
13 Jan. 2026
-
This is a childhood that had all its ordinariness burned out of it by the linking of even seemingly trivial gestures (an offering of candy, a bath, a swim, the dust in a corner of a room) to an entire array of physical and mental agonies.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Steady, intentional eye contact conveys attentiveness and respect.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Good care requires a level of presence and attentiveness that just can’t be scaled.—
Jen Zamzow,
The Conversation,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
All of its radiance-granting powers are effectively put towards a scent that comes alive with glowy warmth, courtesy of the mandarin, magnolia, coconut, sandalwood, and other ingredients found within.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Set inside a 17th-century former noble residence, the building has been a hotel since 1811—a grand, if slightly dusty, fixture of the Roman hospitality circuit—before having the cobwebs blown off courtesy of a four-year renovation overseen by the French-Mexican architect and designer Hugo Toro.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
28 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
-
Oberoi is launching two luxury Nile dahabeyas, which revive the elegance of 1920s river travel, offering an intimate way to experience Egypt’s most storied landscapes along the Nile.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The Tyrolean-style on-mountain lodge, Utah’s first five-star property as of 1982, still smacks of old-world elegance.—
Amy Tara Koch,
Robb Report,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The republic would treat other nations with civility precisely in order to remain independent of their appetites and quarrels.—
Maurizio Valsania,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
-
And both yearn for the days of more civility and less anger.—
Ricardo Torres,
jsonline.com,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
But the book cannot credit Boone with commonplace human thoughtfulness.—
Julius Taranto,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This new thoughtfulness is changing how people plan travel.—
Christopher Elliott,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Politeness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/politeness. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
