/ pəˈlaɪt; NAmE / adjective ( po·liter , po·litest )
HELP NOTE : more polite and most polite are also common
1.
having or showing good manners and respect for the feelings of others
SYN courteous :
Please be polite to our guests.
We were all too polite to object.
OPP impolite
2.
socially correct but not always sincere :
I don't know how to make polite conversation .
The performance was greeted with polite applause.
3.
[ only before noun ] from a class of society that believes it is better than others :
'Bum' is not a word we use in polite company.
► po·lite·ly adverb
► po·lite·ness noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the Latin sense): from Latin politus polished, made smooth, past participle of polire .