polite
(redirected from politest)Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.
po·lite
(pə-līt′)adj. po·lit·er, po·lit·est
1. Marked by or showing consideration for others and observance of accepted social usage.
2. Refined; elegant: polite society.
[Middle English polit, polished, from Latin polītus, past participle of polīre, to polish; see polish.]
po·lite′ly adv.
po·lite′ness n.
Synonyms: polite, mannerly, civil, courteous, genteel
These adjectives mean mindful of, conforming to, or marked by good manners. Polite and mannerly imply consideration for others and the adherence to conventional social standards of good behavior: "She was so polite and unwilling to offend that she wouldn't always make her feelings and intentions clear" (Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson)."Just the one young man came out, very mannerly, and helped first her then me down from the car" (Alice Munro).
Civil often suggests the barest observance of accepted social usages, as in the avoidance of rudeness: "Mr. Bingley was unaffectedly civil in his answer, and forced his younger sister to be civil also, and say what the occasion required" (Jane Austen).
Courteous implies courtliness and dignity: "Even around his parents ... he's unfailingly courteous and even-tempered, letting slide their mild attempts to run his life" (Paul Solotaroff).
Genteel, which originally meant well-bred, now usually suggests excessive and affected refinement associated with the upper classes: "In a world without credit bureaus, background checks, or official identification, properly genteel attire, speech, and behavior determined where a person could go, whom he could see, and how he was judged in every area" (Jeffrey L. Pasley).
These adjectives mean mindful of, conforming to, or marked by good manners. Polite and mannerly imply consideration for others and the adherence to conventional social standards of good behavior: "She was so polite and unwilling to offend that she wouldn't always make her feelings and intentions clear" (Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson)."Just the one young man came out, very mannerly, and helped first her then me down from the car" (Alice Munro).
Civil often suggests the barest observance of accepted social usages, as in the avoidance of rudeness: "Mr. Bingley was unaffectedly civil in his answer, and forced his younger sister to be civil also, and say what the occasion required" (Jane Austen).
Courteous implies courtliness and dignity: "Even around his parents ... he's unfailingly courteous and even-tempered, letting slide their mild attempts to run his life" (Paul Solotaroff).
Genteel, which originally meant well-bred, now usually suggests excessive and affected refinement associated with the upper classes: "In a world without credit bureaus, background checks, or official identification, properly genteel attire, speech, and behavior determined where a person could go, whom he could see, and how he was judged in every area" (Jeffrey L. Pasley).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
polite
(pəˈlaɪt)adj
1. showing regard for others, in manners, speech, behaviour, etc; courteous
2. cultivated or refined: polite society.
3. elegant or polished: polite letters.
[C15: from Latin polītus polished; see polish]
poˈlitely adv
poˈliteness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
po•lite
(pəˈlaɪt)adj. -lit•er, -lit•est.
1. showing good manners toward others, as in behavior or speech; courteous: a polite reply.
2. refined or cultured: polite society.
3. of a refined or elegant kind: polite learning.
[1400–50; late Middle English < Latin polītus, past participle of polīre to polish]
po•lite′ly, adv.
po•lite′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
polite
- Actually meant "polished" or "burnished" when it came into English.See also related terms for polished.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adj. | 1. | polite - showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc. impolite - not polite |
| 2. | polite - marked by refinement in taste and manners; "cultivated speech"; "cultured Bostonians"; "cultured tastes"; "a genteel old lady"; "polite society" refined - (used of persons and their behavior) cultivated and genteel; "she was delicate and refined and unused to hardship"; "refined people with refined taste" | |
| 3. | polite - not rude; marked by satisfactory (or especially minimal) adherence to social usages and sufficient but not noteworthy consideration for others; "even if he didn't like them he should have been civil"- W.S. Maugham |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
polite
adjective
1. mannerly, civil, courteous, affable, obliging, gracious, respectful, well-behaved, deferential, complaisant, well-mannered He was a quiet and very polite young man
mannerly insulting, crude, rude, impertinent, impolite, impudent, discourteous, ill-mannered
mannerly insulting, crude, rude, impertinent, impolite, impudent, discourteous, ill-mannered
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
polite
adjective1. Full of polite concern for the well-being of others:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مُؤَدَّبمُهَذَّب
slušnýzdvořilýzvořilý
høfligvelopdragen
ĝentila
kohtelias
pristojan
udvarias
kurteis
丁寧な
정중한
pieklājīgs
politico
vljuden
artig
สุภาพ
lịch sự
polite
[pəˈlaɪt] ADJ [person] → cortés, educado; [smile] → cortés, amable; [request] → cortéshe was very polite to me → fue muy cortés or educado conmigo
I was too polite to ask → no pregunté por educación or cortesía
he said he liked it but I think he was just being polite → dijo que le gustaba pero creo que lo hizo sólo por cumplir
it's polite to ask permission → es de buena educación pedir permiso
it's not polite to stare → es una falta de educación or es de mala educación quedarse mirando a la gente
his speech received polite applause → su discurso recibió el aplauso de rigor or cortesía
that's not the sort of thing you do in polite company → ése no es el tipo de cosa que harías entre gente educada or fina
they sat there making polite conversation → estaban ahí sentados, dando conversación para quedar bien
he showed a polite interest in my work → mostró interés en mi trabajo sólo por cumplir
in polite society → en la buena sociedad
that's not a very polite thing to say → esas cosas no se dicen
I was trying to think of a polite way to say no → buscaba una forma de decir "no" sin ofender
"cosy" is the polite word for the flat's dimensions (iro) → siendo generoso, podría decirse que las dimensiones del piso lo hacen acogedor
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
polite
[pəˈlaɪt] adj [person, behaviour] → poli(e)
to be polite to sb → être poli(e) avec qn
it's not polite to
It's not polite to do that → Ça ne se fait pas.
to make polite conversation → faire la conversation
to be polite to sb → être poli(e) avec qn
it's not polite to
It's not polite to do that → Ça ne se fait pas.
to make polite conversation → faire la conversation
in polite society → en société
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
polite
adj (+er)
→ höflich; it wouldn’t be polite → es wäre unhöflich; to be polite to somebody → höflich zu jdm sein; be polite about her cooking → mach ein paar höfliche Bemerkungen über ihre Kochkunst; when I said it was good I was just being polite → als ich sagte, es sei gut, wollte ich nur höflich sein; there’s no need to be polite about it if you don’t like it → du kannst es ruhig sagen, wenn es dir nicht gefällt; polite conversation → höfliche Konversation; we sat around making polite conversation → wir saßen zusammen und machten Konversation
society → fein
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
polite
[pəˈlaɪt] adj (-r (comp) (-st (superl))) → educato/ait's not polite to do that → non è educato or buona educazione fare questo
to be polite to sb/about sth → essere cortese con qn/riguardo a qc
in polite society → nella buona società
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
polite
(pəˈlait) adjective having or showing good manners; courteous. a polite child; a polite apology.
poˈlitely adverbpoˈliteness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
polite
→ مُؤَدَّب zvořilý høflig höflich ευγενικός cortés kohtelias poli pristojan cortese 丁寧な 정중한 beleefd høflig grzeczny educado вежливый artig สุภาพ kibar lịch sự 有礼貌的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
polite
a. cortés.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009