Synonyms of polite

18 similar words · 4 opposite words

Another word for polite is civil. Other synonyms of polite are correct, courteous, well-mannered, genteel and urbane. The opposite of polite is impolite.

Synonyms and similar words for polite

civilBehaving in a reasonable or polite manner; avoiding displays of hostility.
gracious
civilized
correctWith good manners; well behaved; conforming with accepted standards of behaviour.
courteousShowing regard or thought for others; especially, displaying good manners or etiquette.
cultivated
genteelAffectedly proper or refined; somewhat prudish refinement; excessively polite.
mannerlyHaving good manners; polite.
polished
politic
reasonable
refined
urbaneOf a person (usually a man): having refined manners; courteous, polite, suave.
well-behaved
well-manneredHaving good manners; polite, courteous, and socially correct; conforming to standards of good behaviour.
well-bred
complaisant archaicPolite; showing respect.
fair-mannered archaicWell-mannered.

impoliteNot polite; discourteous; not of polished manners; wanting in good manners.
rude
bad-manneredHaving bad manners; impolite.
ill-manneredHaving bad manners; impolite.

What is another word for polite?: Polite has 18 synonyms on Word.ws, such as civil, correct, courteous, well-mannered, genteel, urbane and mannerly.
What is the opposite of polite?: The opposite of polite is impolite. Other antonyms of polite are bad-mannered and ill-mannered.
What does polite mean?: Polite means well-mannered, civilized.

Adapted from Wiktionary: polite (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “Synonyms of polite.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/polite. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.