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Definition of polite adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

polite

adjective
 
/pəˈlaɪt/
 
/pəˈlaɪt/
(comparative politer, superlative politest)
more polite and most polite are also common
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  1. having or showing good manners and respect for the feelings of others synonym courteous
    • polite to somebody Please be polite to our guests.
    • Our waiter was very polite and helpful.
    • We were all too polite to object.
    opposite impolite
    Extra Examples
    • She was scrupulously polite to him.
    • If you just go and ask in a polite way, you might get what you want.
    • In Western culture, it is polite to maintain eye contact during conversation.
    • Reviewing someone's first novel, it is customary to be polite about it, to find things to praise in it.
    • He was unfailingly polite. I never saw him in his life be rude to a fan.
    Topics Personal qualitiesa2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • seem
    • sound
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    preposition
    • to
    See full entry
  2. socially correct but not always sincere
    • I don't know how to make polite conversation.
    • The performance was greeted with polite applause.
    • She greeted me with a quick hello and a polite smile.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • seem
    • sound
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    preposition
    • to
    See full entry
  3. [only before noun] from a class of society that believes it is better than others
    • ‘Bum’ is not a word we use in polite company.
    • The scandal outraged polite society.
  4. Word Originlate Middle English (in the Latin sense): from Latin politus ‘polished, made smooth’, past participle of polire.
See polite in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee polite in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
halfway
adverb
 
 
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