Standard Lemma guide

pleasantry

noun · 4 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.

  • /ˈplɛzəntɹi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P L EH1 Z AH0 N T R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A casual, courteous remark.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, proscribed, sometimes, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A playful remark; a jest.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Anything that promotes pleasure or merriment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, dated, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

an agreeable or amusing remark

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they exchange pleasantries

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: jest, joke, jocularity

History

Etymology

From pleasant + -ry, probably modelled on Middle French plaisanterie.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: любезност (ljubeznost) — courteous remark
  • Chinese Mandarin: 客套的話 /客套的话 (kètào de huà) — courteous remark
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寒暄的話 /寒暄的话 (hánxuān de huà) — courteous remark
  • Danish: elskværdighed — courteous remark
  • Finnish: kohteliaisuus — courteous remark
  • Finnish: kehu — courteous remark
  • German: Höflichkeit — courteous remark
  • Russian: любезность (ljubeznostʹ) — courteous remark
  • Spanish: placentería — courteous remark
  • Spanish: placemiento — courteous remark
  • Spanish: pleitesía — courteous remark
  • Bulgarian: шега (šega) — jest
  • Bulgarian: закачка (zakačka) — jest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 打趣的話 /打趣的话 (dǎqù de huà) — jest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 閑談的話 /闲谈的话 (xiántán de huà) — jest
  • Finnish: vitsailu — jest
  • Russian: шпилька (špilʹka) — jest
  • Ottoman Turkish: مزه (meze) — jest