etiquette

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The accepted rules of polite behavior in a particular social or professional situation.

   Grammar: Uncountable: say 'good etiquette' or 'a matter of etiquette', not 'an etiquette'.

   Patterns

   • etiquette for something
   • professional etiquette
   • social etiquette

   Good etiquette at a job interview includes arriving on time and dressing appropriately.

   She knows the etiquette for addressing senior colleagues in the company.

2. 2noununcountable

   The formal rules followed in a particular profession or activity, such as medicine or diplomacy.

   Grammar: Often used after a noun: medical etiquette, diplomatic etiquette.

   Patterns

   • medical etiquette
   • diplomatic etiquette

   Medical etiquette requires doctors to keep patient information private.

   Diplomatic etiquette dictates how ambassadors greet one another.

Common combinations

social etiquette

Social etiquette varies from country to country.

professional etiquette

Professional etiquette says you should not interrupt a colleague in a meeting.

breach of etiquette

Leaving before the toast was considered a breach of etiquette.

etiquette for

There are special rules of etiquette for writing business emails.

Synonyms and how they differ

manners

Manners are the way a person behaves toward others, often judged as polite or rude; etiquette refers to the set of rules themselves.

protocol

Protocol is a more formal term for official rules of behavior, especially in diplomacy or government; etiquette is broader and used in everyday social situations too.

custom

A custom is a traditional way of doing something; etiquette specifically concerns polite behavior and correctness.

Opposites

Word family

etiquettical adjective

Rare; relating to etiquette.

Commonly confused: etiquette or etiquette?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “etiquette”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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