From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcourteouscour‧te‧ous /ˈkɜːtiəs $ ˈkɜːr-/ ●○○ adjective POLITEpolite and showing respect for other people OPP discourteous The staff are always courteous and helpful. a courteous reply► see thesaurus at polite
Examples from the Corpus
courteous• Probably Inchbad and the others would be extremely friendly and entirely courteous.• The letter is short and courteous.• Indeed, when he so wished, the young Edward could be dazzlingly courteous and charming.• People were unfailingly courteous and showed great sympathy - but throughout, all eyes were firmly on Abu Dhabi.• Normally so courteous and tidy, if Loi was fishing, he became brusque and rude, oblivious to his surroundings.• The officers were extremely courteous and well-trained.• Airline staff must be courteous at all times, even when passengers are not.• He was courteous, but he did not feed him cream puffs.• I received a courteous letter from Jane's mother thanking me for my help.• They provide a fast and courteous service.• He was always kind and courteous to me, but we never really became friends.• I finally spoke to a courteous young man and asked him to send us a replacement modem.Origin courteous (1200-1300) Old French corteis, from court; → COURT1 