courteous

CEFRB2

/ˈkɜːti.əs/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Polite and showing respect for other people.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Showing regard or thought for others; especially, displaying good manners or etiquette.

Examples

  • It is very courteous of you to call on me.

  • You must be courteous to any guest.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
2
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

More examples

In context

  • a courteous gentleman a courteous gesture

  • Nectar ran / In courteous fountains to all cups outreach'd; / And plunder'd vines, teeming exhaustless, pleach'd / New growth about each shell and pendent lyre; [...]

  • His exhortations to his assistants to waste no time in getting on with the job, and to be tactful and courteous with those outside the railway service with whom they had to deal, are as apposite today as they were a century ago.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank host offered a warm smile and a firm handshake.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English curteis, from Old French curteis (French courtois), from cort (“court”). By surface analysis, court + -eous. Compare typologically Czech zdvořilý (<~ dvůr), German höflich (<~ Hof). Also note Russian прийти́сь ко двору́ (prijtísʹ ko dvorú). Compare typologically civil, urbane. See pagan for the opposite.