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polite
2 dictionary results for: Politest
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
po·lite       [puh-lahyt] Pronunciation Key
–adjective, -lit·er, -lit·est.
1.showing good manners toward others, as in behavior, speech, etc.; courteous; civil: a polite reply.
2.refined or cultured: polite society.
3.of a refined or elegant kind: polite learning.
[Origin: 1400–50; late ME < L polītus, ptp. of polīre to polish]

—Related forms
po·lite·ly, adverb
po·lite·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. well-bred, gracious. See civil. 2. urbane, polished, poised, courtly, cultivated.
—Antonyms 1, 2. rude.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
po·lite       (pə-līt')  Pronunciation Key 
adj.   po·lit·er, po·lit·est
  1. Marked by or showing consideration for others, tact, and observance of accepted social usage.
  2. Refined; elegant: polite society.


[Middle English polit, polished, from Latin polītus, past participle of polīre, to polish; see polish.]

po·lite'ly adv., po·lite'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean mindful of, conforming to, or marked by good manners. Polite and mannerly imply consideration for others and the adherence to conventional social standards of good behavior: "It costs nothing to be polite" (Winston S. Churchill). The child was scolded by his grandmother for not being more mannerly.
Civil suggests only the barest observance of accepted social usages; it often means merely neither polite nor rude: If you can't be friendly, at least be civil.
Courteous implies courtliness and dignity: "If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world" (Francis Bacon).
Genteel, which originally meant well-bred, now usually suggests excessive and affected refinement: "A man, indeed, is not genteel when he gets drunk" (James Boswell).

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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