courteous Hear it!

courteous definition

cour·teous (kʉrt′ē əs)

adjective

polite and gracious; considerate toward others; well-mannered

Etymology: ME courteis < OFr corteis < court: see court & -eous

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

courteous Synonyms

courteous

modif.

polite, gracious, affable, cultivated; see polite 1. See syn. study at polite.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

courteous Usage Examples

Preposition: at

  • time: All staff involved in the process were courteous at all times.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • find: Speaking personally, I have found the wardens invariably courteous, and very helpful when one seeks their advice.

Modifies a noun

  • manner: You can expect... To be treated in a courteous manner.

Modifying Another Word

  • unfailingly: Unfailingly courteous, they spoke of ideas that played out over many centuries.

Infinitive complement

  • inform: In all cases it is courteous to inform your local Marie of your intentions to run a gite or B&B business.

Used with adjective complement

  • recommend: Supermarket, Hong Kong: for your convenience, we recommend courteous, efficient self-service.
courteous usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

courteous quotes

Far may be sought Erst that ye can find So courteous, so kind, As Merry Margaret, This midsummer flower, Gentle as falcon Or hawk of the tower.

-Skelton,John

courteous quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"courteous." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/courteous>

APA Style

courteous. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/courteous

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