politeness
gb/pəlˈaɪtnəs/ us/pəlˈaɪtnəs/
B1
English
~ 6200
udvariasság
NOUN
B1
1
udvariasság
B1
Usage pattern:
politeness towards [someone]
A little politeness can make difficult conversations much easier.
Egy kis udvariasság sokkal könnyebbé teheti a nehéz beszélgetéseket.
She thanked the waiter out of politeness, even though the service was slow.
Udvariasságból megköszönte a pincérnek, pedig lassú volt a kiszolgálás.
Basic politeness, like saying "please" and "thank you", is expected in most workplaces.
His politeness towards the guests made a very good impression.
They spoke with exaggerated politeness, hiding their real anger.
Learner examples
Politeness is important when you meet new people.
Az udvariasság fontos, amikor új emberekkel találkozunk.
He shows politeness by saying "please" and "thank you".
Azzal mutat udvariasságot, hogy azt mondja: „kérem” és „köszönöm”.
Out of politeness, she stayed until the end of the party.
Simple politeness can help you make friends.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "politeness" (a noun) with "polite" (an adjective). Use "politeness" for the idea or quality (e.g., "His politeness is famous"), and "polite" before a noun (e.g., "a polite child"). Another common mistake is treating "politeness" as countable in general use (*"many politenesses"); it is normally uncountable, so say "a lot of politeness" or "great politeness" instead.
Meaning
behavior that shows respect
Collocations
basic politeness
|show politeness
|out of politeness
|a matter of politeness
|politeness towards customers
|simple politeness
Synonyms
courtesy (Often slightly more formal; stresses respectful and considerate behavior.)
|
civility (Emphasizes not being rude in public or formal situations; sometimes sounds more formal or legalistic.)
|
good manners (More informal phrase; focuses on learned rules of polite behavior, especially in social or family settings.)
Antonyms
rudeness (Direct opposite; open lack of respect or bad manners.)
|
impoliteness (More technical-sounding opposite; describes behavior that is not polite.)
Themes
daily life
|social
|culture
|relationships
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The way you act and speak that shows respect and good manners to other people.
The quality or behavior of being respectful, considerate, and socially appropriate in the way you speak and act toward others.
Grammar
Dictionary form
politeness
IPA
GB/pəlˈaɪtnəs/
US/pəlˈaɪtnəs/
Syllables & stress
po - lite - ness (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (lite)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: politeness
- Plural: politeness
Word family
Negative and opposite forms
Expressions
as a matter of politeness
1/ˈæz ə mˈætɚ əv pəlˈaɪtnəs/
fixed phrase
do something for politeness reasons
You do something because it is the polite thing to do in that situation.
Examples
- As a matter of politeness, he introduced his colleague to everyone in the room.
- We sent a short email reply, just as a matter of politeness.
basic politeness
1/bˈeɪsɪk pəlˈaɪtnəs/
fixed phrase
minimum level of politeness
The simple, minimum level of polite behavior that most people expect.
Examples
- Saying "please" and "thank you" is just basic politeness.
- In customer service jobs, basic politeness is part of the training.
out of politeness
1/ˈaʊt əv pəlˈaɪtnəs/
fixed phrase
do something only to be polite
You do something not because you really want to, but because you want to be polite.
Examples
- He tasted the cake out of politeness, even though he wasn't hungry.
- She laughed at his joke out of politeness, not because it was funny.
politeness costs nothing
1/pəlˈaɪtnəs kˈɔsts nˈʌθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
being polite is free
It does not cost money to be polite, so people should be polite.
Examples
- My grandmother always said that politeness costs nothing.
- Politeness costs nothing, but it can change someone's day.