polite

[puh-lahyt] / pəˈlaɪt /

ADJECTIVE

mannerly, civilized

Synonyms

STRONGEST

affable amiable attentive civil conciliatory considerate cordial courteous courtly deferential diplomatic friendly genteel gentle good-natured gracious neighborly pleasant respectful sociable sympathetic thoughtful well-behaved well-mannered

WEAK

amenable bland complaisant concerned condescending cultured elegant mild nice obliging obsequious polished politic punctilious refined smooth solicitous urbane well-bred

Antonyms

STRONGEST

aloof antagonistic callous cold cool disagreeable discourteous disrespectful hateful heedless impolite inattentive inconsiderate mean nasty rough rude surly thoughtless uncaring uncivil unfeeling unfriendly unkind unmannerly unmindful unpleasant unrefined unsociable

WEAK

uncivilized unsophisticated

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A refinery that runs out of crude doesn’t post a polite quarterly loss.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

You are not politically correct and don’t necessarily belong always in polite society.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

She called the emails “casual correspondence” and stated, “My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note.”

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

She referenced a 2002 email between her and Maxwell released in the Epstein files, calling it nothing more than "casual correspondence" and a "polite reply".

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

"I'm sure she'll behave herself during dinner, Jeremy. This is fairly important to your father, so I want you to be polite when they come."

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Vocabulary lists containing polite

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Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

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