Meaning & use
Politesse
Last updated
Formal politeness or courtesy, especially of a somewhat elaborate or studied kind.
See it in a sentence
He greeted the ambassador with practiced politesse.
Beneath her polite exterior and careful politesse, she was seething.
A note on using this word
"Politesse" is a French loanword absorbed into English to describe a more formal, almost ceremonial kind of politeness than the everyday word "politeness" implies.
Words with a similar meaning
courtesycivility
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
rudenessimpoliteness
Make it your own
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