polite

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. mannerly, civil, courteous, gracious; gallant, courtly, polished, well-bred, refined. See courtesy, fashion. Ant., impolite, surly.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Courteous]

Syn. courteous, civil, obliging, thoughtful, mannerly, attentive, pleasant, gentle, mild, nice, considerate, solicitous, conciliatory, conciliative, bland, honey-tongued, amiable, gracious, cordial, good-natured, sympathetic, interested, smooth, chivalrous, gallant, diplomatic, tactful, politic, benign, propitiatory, kindly, kind, courtly, benignant, affable, agreeable, complaisant, respectful, amenable, courtly, well-bred, genteel, gentlemanly, well-mannered, well-spoken, ceremonious, formal, proper, punctilious, sociable, ingratiating, neighborly, friendly.

Ant. rude*, impolite, insolent.

2. [Refined]

Syn. polished, well-bred, cultured, urbane; see refined 2 .

Syn.- polite suggests a positive observance of etiquette in social behavior [ it is not polite to interrupt ] ; courteous suggests a still more positive and sincere graciousness toward others that springs from an inherent thoughtfulness [ always courteous to strangers ] ; civil implies merely a refraining from rudeness [ keep a civil tongue in your head ] ; chivalrous implies disinterested courtesy toward women or devotion to the cause of the weak; gallant suggests a dashing display of courtesy, esp. to women [ her gallant lover ]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

well-mannered, courteous, gracious, civil, considerate, thoughtful, courtly, behaved, gentlemanly, ladylike, refined, nice, diplomatic.

ANT.: rude, discourteous, boorish, ill-mannered

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Full of polite concern for the well-being of others: attentive, considerate, courteous, gallant, solicitous, thoughtful. See CAREFUL, TREAT WELL. 2. Characterized by good manners: civil, courteous, genteel, mannerly, well-bred, well-mannered. See COURTESY.