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.

But the old script — be polite, get ignored, lose anyway — is no longer defensible.

From Salon • May 30, 2026

“His forte is listening,” Cooke, the biographer, said of Lesch, whose polite, unassuming manner reflects an adult life spent mostly in San Antonio.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

But the main witness, the police officer who had initially confronted Gamble, was grim-faced, rigidly polite, and completely serious about his claims.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

Resolving some issues took a lot of polite, and desperate, pleading with a machine.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

That was interesting, because Mom always got extremely polite and very Southern when she was hopping mad on the inside.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Vocabulary lists containing polite

Real Nice!

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"Kids Like Me: Voices of the Immigrant Experience"

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Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

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