1
as in services
an act of kind assistance
did me the courtesy of loaning me his jacket
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gestures
an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners
the greeting "How are you?" is often intended as no more than a courtesy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of courtesies
Small courtesies keep big efforts moving forward.
—
Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Leonora measures out her days in courtesies and slights, the former dominating the beginning of the book, the latter rapidly gaining ground.
—Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.
—Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Leonora measures out her days in courtesies and slights, the former dominating the beginning of the book, the latter rapidly gaining ground.
—Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courtesies
Noun
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San Diego County officials said late Tuesday that Elayyat is currently a deputy director for self-sufficiency services.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2026
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As research highlighted the benefits of bee pollination for certain crops in the early 1900s, many beekeepers began switching gears from a sole focus on honey production to providing pollination services to provide extra income.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Sometimes, the simplest gestures are the ones that go the longest way.—
Max Darrow,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
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The brand has its own treatment protocol with unique gestures, which are developed by education and R&D executives.—
Jennifer Weil,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
Noun
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And perhaps that is one of the greatest privileges of longevity in our business.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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Washington simply stopped issuing and renewing confidential plates in October 2025, and Massachusetts did the same, cutting off ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agencies from privileges in early 2026.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Noun
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And to keep in the retailer’s good graces, national suppliers have reformulated their cereals and other products.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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Its gentleness was, to me, one of its graces and one of its defining qualities.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Then His unveiled, sweet mercies show Life’s burdens light.—
Douglas Sytsma,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Trump’s attacks on his former allies who are now critical of him also aren’t doing him any favors, Hassan says.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2026
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The current American League standings do them no favors, either, even though the Yankees did put so much early distance between themselves and the rest of the field.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Courtesies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courtesies. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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