Meanings
comparative more courteously · superlative most courteously
- In a courteous manner; with obliging civility or condescension; politely.
"Perhaps they eat too much." He said it with the air of one courteously offering a helpful suggestion.
1926, Christopher Darlington Morley, Thunder on the Left1 more example
His Third Query is a Frank Proposal, without any more ado, of taking all the Church Lands into the Crown; and Courteously he offers the Poor Cavaliers a Snip in the Booty
1680, Roger L'Estrange, The Free-Born Subject, Or, the Englishmans Birthright Asserted Against All Tyrannical Vsvrpations Either in Church or State
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishcurteisly
- Englishcourteously
From Middle English curteisly, curteisliche; equivalent to courteous + -ly.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan cortesament
- cortesamentin a courteous manner
Czech zdvořile
- zdvořilein a courteous manner
French courtoisement
- courtoisementin a courteous manner
Hindi सविनय
- सविनय (savinay)in a courteous manner
Hungarian udvariasan
- udvariasanin a courteous manner
Italian cortesemente
- cortesementein a courteous manner
Polish uprzejmie, grzecznie
- uprzejmiein a courteous manner
- grzeczniein a courteous manner
Romanian curtenitor, politicos
- curtenitorin a courteous manner
- politicosin a courteous manner
- cavalereștein a courteous manner
Russian ве́жливо, обходи́тельно
- ве́жливо (véžlivo)in a courteous manner
- обходи́тельно (obxodítelʹno)in a courteous manner
- учти́во (učtívo)in a courteous manner
- любе́зно (ljubézno)in a courteous manner
Spanish cortésmente
- cortésmentein a courteous manner
Swedish artigt
- artigtin a courteous manner
Ukrainian вві́чливо
- вві́чливо (vvíčlyvo)in a courteous manner
Cite this entry
courteously. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/courteously
“courteously.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/courteously. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “courteously,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/courteously.
Source: courteously on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.