politesse
French, noun/pɔ.li.tɛs/
politesse is spelled P-O-L-I-T-E-S-S-E (9 letters) and appears 4.8 times per million words in written French, the 11,545th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Politesse is a French feminine noun meaning “politeness, courtesy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Bonne manière de vivre, d’agir ou de parler avec quelqu’un, civile, honnête ou courtoise”.
What does politesse mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininepoliteness, courtesy
Near-synonym: courtoisie
- 2
femininepolite remark or action
Near-synonyms: courtoisie, gentillesse
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Bonne manière de vivre, d’agir ou de parler avec quelqu’un, civile, honnête ou courtoise. 2. Actions conformes à la politesse.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of politesse
- politesses plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce politesse?
- /pɔ.li.tɛs/
- \pɔ.li.tɛs\
- [la pɔ.li.tɛs]
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to politesse
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is politesse in French?
politesse appears 4.8 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).