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 this is all fictional, or notional if you want to be polite.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

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

From Salon • May 30, 2026

The old-school kind where everybody is mostly well-behaved and polite, and the audience scrolls on their phones to stay awake.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Neighbours have described a man who was shot dead by police during an armed stand-off as "harmless" and "polite".

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Chiding myself for being so shallow, I concentrated on being polite.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

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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