courtly
polite, refined, or elegant: courtly manners.
flattering; obsequious.
noting, pertaining to, or suitable for the court of a sovereign.
in a courtly manner; politely or flatteringly.
Origin of courtly
1Other words from courtly
- court·li·ness, noun
Words Nearby courtly
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use courtly in a sentence
Al-Jazari’s courtly mechanical servants and the killer sentries in imaginative literature share a link to surveillance, foreshadowing another purpose to which AI and robots have often been turned.
Ancient robots were objects of fantasy and fun | E. R. Truitt/MIT Press Reader | November 30, 2021 | Popular-ScienceSentries and guards keep watch and discern friend from foe, while courtly servants operate in ritualized, hierarchical environments where people are under constant scrutiny.
Ancient robots were objects of fantasy and fun | E. R. Truitt/MIT Press Reader | November 30, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThe Turkish crescent—a pole with metal jangles—shook both on the battlefield and in courtly ceremonies.
Who was the most erotic poet of the late Renaissance and early Baroque, when the quatrain reached its courtly zenith?
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun | Katie Baker | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBlumenthal, a courtly gentleman of 68 in a perfectly crisp blue shirt, gets laughs by trotting out his rudimentary Spanish.
Dan Malloy Is Progressives’ Dream Governor. So Why Isn’t He Winning? | David Freedlander | October 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The driver, Amadou Diallo, was a courtly African immigrant who made it a point to wear a tie as he worked.
The Mad Shooter of Paris Is a ‘Natural Born Killer’ | Christopher Dickey | November 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTMerivel By Rose Tremain In the sequel to Restoration, Robert Merivel is back, now in middle age, with another courtly farce.
From a long-awaited sequel to a courtly farce, to a memoir of a childhood spent in the ruins of American aristocracy.
He was greatly admired for his fine physique and courtly bearing, and yet but few sought his acquaintance.
The Everlasting Arms | Joseph HockingReining in his horse, he dismounted, and making what he thought a most courtly bow, he bade her good evening.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnHe spoke her own tongue fluently, and never in Constantinople had she met a gentleman more at his ease in courtly company.
God Wills It! | William Stearns DavisBut, first, shall I not buy you a book—some exquisite book full of strange perfumes and passionate courtly gestures?
Sinister Street, vol. 1 | Compton MackenzieUntil quite recently a courtly, aristocratic art had shed its light upon the whole of Europe.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4) | Richard Muther
British Dictionary definitions for courtly
/ (ˈkɔːtlɪ) /
of or suitable for a royal court
refined in manner
ingratiating
Derived forms of courtly
- courtliness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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