courtesy
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
A polite gesture or remark.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kurtuhseeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɝtəsi
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
countable
A polite gesture or remark, especially as opposed to an obligation or standard practice.
uncountable
Polite behavior.
uncountable
Consent or agreement in spite of fact; indulgence.
uncountable
Willingness or generosity in providing something needed.
adjective
Given or done as a polite gesture.
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Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A polite gesture or remark, especially as opposed to an obligation or standard practice.
Used this way, courtesy is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in ethics or values contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Slightly formal
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Ethics/values
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use courtesy
- “It is common courtesy to hold the door open for others entering the building.”noun
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Antonyms
Sense: polite gesture or remark
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.