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Definition of polite - 5 dictionary results

po⋅lite

  [puh-lahyt]
Use polite in a Sentence
–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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po·lite   (pə-līt')   
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).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Polite

Po*lite"\, a. [Compar. Politer; superl. Politest.] [L. politus, p. p. of polire to polish: cf. F. poli. See Polish, v.]

1. Smooth; polished. [Obs.]

Rays of light falling on a polite surface. --Sir I. Newton.

2. Smooth and refined in behavior or manners; well bred; courteous; complaisant; obliging; civil.

He marries, bows at court, and grows polite. --Pope.

3. Characterized by refinement, or a high degree of finish; as, polite literature. --Macaulay.

Syn: Polished; refined; well bred; courteous; affable; urbane; civil; courtly; elegant; genteel.

Polite

Po*lite"\, v. t. To polish; to refine; to render polite. [Obs.] --Ray.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : polite
Spanish: educado,
German: höflich,
Japanese: 礼儀正しい
More Translations »

polite 
1263, from L. politus "refined, elegant," lit. "polished," pp. of polire "to polish, to make smooth." Used literally at first in Eng.; sense of "elegant, cultured" is first recorded 1501, that of "behaving courteously" is 1762.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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