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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Polite \Po*lite"\, adjective [Compar. {Politer}; superl. {Politest}.] [L. politus, p. p. of polire to polish: cf. F. poli. See {Polish}, v.]
1. Smooth; polished. [Obs.]
Rays of light falling on a polite surface. --Sir I. Newton.
2. Smooth and refined in behavior or manners; well bred; courteous; complaisant; obliging; civil.
He marries, bows at court, and grows polite. --Pope.
3. Characterized by refinement, or a high degree of finish; as, polite literature. --Macaulay.
Syn: Polished; refined; well bred; courteous; affable; urbane; civil; courtly; elegant; genteel.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Polite \Po*lite"\, verb (used with an object) To polish; to refine; to render polite. [Obs.] --Ray.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
polite
adjective
1: showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc. [ant: {impolite}]
2: marked by refinement in taste and manners; "cultivated speech"; "cultured Bostonians"; "cultured tastes"; "a genteel old lady"; "polite society" [syn: {civilized}, {civilised}, {cultivated}, {cultured}, {genteel}]
3: not rude; marked by satisfactory (or especially minimal) adherence to social usages and sufficient but not noteworthy consideration for others; "even if he didn't like them he should have been civil"- W.S. Maugham [syn: {civil}] [ant: {uncivil}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
26 Moby Thesaurus words for "polite": accommodating, affable, agreeable, attentive, civil, complaisant, considerate, cordial, courteous, deferential, diplomatic, fair, formal, genteel, graceful, gracious, mannerly, obliging, polished, proper, respectful, solicitous, tactful, thoughtful, urbane, well-mannered
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Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |