politesse
politesse — noun
1. careful good manners that follow social rules and can seem slightly stiff
careful good manners that follow social rules and can seem slightly stiff
Guests exchanged politesse at the embassy dinner before the talks began.
exchange politesse in formal settings
His old-fashioned politesse made the hotel staff call him sir again.
Even during the argument, Maria kept her politesse and offered tea.
The lawyer's politesse could not hide his sharp questions at court.
Under the smiles and bows, their politesse felt cold to Anna.
- politeness
is the normal everyday word and is broader, with less formal or theatrical force
- courtesy
often stresses considerate acts toward another person more than social style
- civility
is common in public or social discussion about basic respect between people
- decorum
focuses on behaving in the proper way for a particular occasion
- rudeness
directly describes bad manners or disrespectful behaviour
- discourtesy
is a more formal opposite that stresses lack of consideration
文法句型
show politesse
with politesse
用法筆記
Usually uncountable and mostly found in formal, literary, or historical writing. Often suggests socially correct manners that are polished on the surface rather than warm or natural.