Standard Lemma guide

courteous

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɜːti.əs/
  • General-American: /ˈkɝti.əs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K ER1 T IY0 AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Showing regard or thought for others; especially, displaying good manners or etiquette.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a courteous gentleman a courteous gesture

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: civil, civilized, complaisant, correct, courteous, cultivated, fair-mannered, genteel, mannerly, polished, polite, politic, reasonable, refined, urbane, well-behaved, well-mannered, well-bred

Antonyms: discourteous, uncourteous, aweless, improper, bad-mannered, barbaric, bold, bumptious, crude, churlish, impudent, gauche, ill-bred, ill-mannered, impolite, incivil, insolent, lack-grace, mismannered, rantipole, rough, rude, uncivil, uncivilized, uncouth, uncultured, underbred, unmannerly, unpolished, unpolite, unrefined

2

adjective

Meaning 2

characterized by courtesy and gracious good manners-Francis Bacon

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • if a man be gracious and courteous to strangers it shows he is a citizen of the world

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: discourteous

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

exhibiting courtesy and politeness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a nice gesture

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gracious, nice

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English curteis, from Old French curteis (French courtois), from cort (“court”). By surface analysis, court + -eous. Compare typologically Czech zdvořilý (<~ dvůr), German höflich (<~ Hof). Also note Russian прийти́сь ко двору́ (prijtísʹ ko dvorú). Compare typologically civil, urbane. See pagan for the opposite.

Across languages

Translations

72 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُهَذَّب (muhaḏḏab) — showing regard for others
  • Arabic: مُؤَدَّب (muʔaddab) — showing regard for others
  • Belarusian: ве́тлівы (vjétlivy) — showing regard for others
  • Bulgarian: учти́в (učtív) — showing regard for others
  • Bulgarian: внима́телен (vnimátelen) — showing regard for others
  • Bulgarian: ве́жлив (véžliv) — showing regard for others
  • Catalan: cortès — showing regard for others
  • Chinese Cantonese: 有禮貌 /有礼貌 (jau5 lai5 maau6) — showing regard for others
  • Chinese Cantonese: 斯文 (si1 man4) — showing regard for others
  • Chinese Mandarin: 有禮貌 /有礼貌 (yǒulǐmào) — showing regard for others
  • Chinese Mandarin: 客氣 /客气 (kèqi) — showing regard for others
  • Czech: zdvořilý — showing regard for others
  • Czech: slušný — showing regard for others
  • Danish: høflig — showing regard for others
  • Danish: beleven — showing regard for others
  • Dutch: hoffelijk — showing regard for others
  • Esperanto: ĝentila — showing regard for others
  • Faroese: ærutur — showing regard for others
  • Finnish: kohtelias — showing regard for others
  • French: courtois — showing regard for others
  • French: poli — showing regard for others
  • German: höflich — showing regard for others
  • German: zuvorkommend — showing regard for others
  • German: aufmerksam — showing regard for others
  • Greek: αβρόφρων (avrófron) — showing regard for others
  • Hebrew: אדיב (adiv) — showing regard for others
  • Hindi: विनम्र (vinamra) — showing regard for others
  • Hindi: शालीन (śālīn) — showing regard for others
  • Ido: jentila — showing regard for others
  • Irish: lách — showing regard for others
  • Irish: sibhialta — showing regard for others
  • Italian: cortese — showing regard for others
  • Japanese: 丁寧 (teinei) — showing regard for others
  • Japanese: 礼儀正しい (reigitadashii) — showing regard for others
  • Japanese: 思いやりのある (omoiyarinoaru) — showing regard for others
  • Latin: cōmis — showing regard for others
  • Macedonian: у́чтив (účtiv) — showing regard for others
  • Macedonian: љу́безен (ljúbezen) — showing regard for others
  • Macedonian: внима́телен (vnimátelen) — showing regard for others
  • Macedonian: куртоа́зен (kurtoázen) — showing regard for others
  • Māori: hūmārika — showing regard for others
  • Middle English: curteis — showing regard for others
  • Middle English: semly — showing regard for others
  • Norwegian Bokmål: høflig — showing regard for others
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: høfleg — showing regard for others
  • Persian: مؤدب (mo'addab) — showing regard for others
  • Plautdietsch: heeflich — showing regard for others
  • Polish: uprzejmy — showing regard for others
  • Polish: grzeczny — showing regard for others
  • Portuguese: cortês — showing regard for others
  • Russian: любе́зный (ljubéznyj) — showing regard for others
  • Russian: ве́жливый (véžlivyj) — showing regard for others
  • Russian: обходи́тельный (obxodítelʹnyj) — showing regard for others
  • Russian: учти́вый (učtívyj) — showing regard for others
  • Russian: внима́тельный (vnimátelʹnyj) — showing regard for others
  • Russian: куртуа́зный (kurtuáznyj) — showing regard for others
  • Serbo-Croatian: учтив — showing regard for others
  • Serbo-Croatian: učtiv — showing regard for others
  • Slovak: zdvorilý — showing regard for others
  • Slovak: slušný — showing regard for others
  • Slovene: vljuden — showing regard for others
  • Spanish: cordial — showing regard for others
  • Spanish: cortés — showing regard for others
  • Swedish: artig — showing regard for others
  • Swedish: hövlig — showing regard for others
  • Turkish: kibar — showing regard for others
  • Turkish: nazik — showing regard for others
  • Turkish: efendi — showing regard for others
  • Ottoman Turkish: نازك (nâzik) — showing regard for others
  • Ottoman Turkish: كبار (kibar) — showing regard for others
  • Ottoman Turkish: تربیهلو (terbiyeli) — showing regard for others
  • Ukrainian: вві́чливий (vvíčlyvyj) — showing regard for others
Real reading context

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