etiquette

noun

et·i·quette ˈe-ti-kət

-ˌket

: the conduct or procedure required by good breeding or prescribed by authority to be observed in social or official life

Did you know?

If you’re looking for a polite topic of conversation to raise at your next gathering of word lovers, we’ve got just the ticket. The French word étiquette means “ticket”; its direct French ancestor also referred to a label attached to something for description or identification. Spaniards of the 16th-century adopted the French word (altering it to etiqueta), and used it to refer to the written protocols describing the behavior demanded of those who appeared at court. Eventually, etiqueta came to be applied to the court ceremonies themselves as well as to the documents which outlined their requirements. Word of this linguistic development got back to the French, who then expanded their word’s meaning to include “proper court behavior” along with its “label” sense. By the middle of the 18th century English speakers had taken on etiquette as their own, applying it to the rules that indicate the proper and polite way to behave, whether in the presence or royalty or not.

Examples of etiquette in a Sentence

Her failure to respond to the invitation was a serious breach of etiquette. the couple exhibited poor etiquette when they left the party without saying good-bye to the host and hostess

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Handed out alongside the official program was an etiquette manual. —

Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025 Read more Prison walls reveal last messages of Assad's detainees Hearts break over rescue cat's reaction to owner packing suitcase Photo of Daniel Penny on NY subway goes viral after acquittal Beyond etiquette, research suggests that strong spousal relationships contribute to well-being. —

David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025 Like a tectonic plate of unspoken emergency etiquette, there is a quiet divide emerging between the parts of the city that are still in active crisis and the parts that are attempting to go about business as usual. —

Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Jan. 2025 Whitmore agreed that these acts of thankfulness are good forms of etiquette. —

Sydney Borchers, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for etiquette