po·lite /pəˈlaɪt/ ●●● S3 adjectiveadj 1 POLITEbehaving or speaking in a way that is correct for the social situation you are in, and showing that you are careful to consider other people’s needs and feelings 有礼貌的,客气的 OPP rude, impolite She’s always very polite. 她总是很有礼貌。
polite, well-behaved children 懂礼貌、守规矩的孩子
a clear but polite request 明确但客气的请求
it is polite (of somebody) to do something We left the party as soon as it was polite to do so. 我们在不失礼节的情况下尽早离开了聚会。
It’s not polite to talk with your mouth full. 满嘴食物时讲话是不礼貌的。
2 POLITEyou make polite conversation, remarks etc because it is considered socially correct to do this, but not necessarily because you believe what you are saying 礼节性的,客套的,应酬的polite remarks/conversation/interest etc While they ate, they made polite conversation about the weather. 吃饭的时候,他们礼貌地谈论天气。
Jan expressed polite interest in Edward’s stamp collection. 简对爱德华的邮票收藏礼貌地表示兴趣。
I know Ian said he liked her singing, but he was only being polite. 我知道伊恩说过喜欢听她唱歌,不过那仅仅是客套话而已。
3 in polite society/circles/company POLITEamong people who are considered to have a good education and correct social behaviour – often used humorously 在文雅人中间〔常为幽默用法〕 You can’t use words like that in polite company. 在文雅人面前你不能使用那样的词语。
in polite society/circles/company• You can't use words like that in polite company.• In the good old days of rampant dualism, the mind was rarely mentioned in polite society.• It was not the sort of thing you did in polite company.• It was obvious from the scenes that such behavior did not belong in polite society.• Trevor Proby is another, of course, but his notables should not be discussed in polite company.• With sad paradox, Mr Punch himself became the man in the Bateman cartoon, unwelcome in polite company.• Her passion for natural history became increasingly fashionable in polite society during the 17605. —politely adverbadv ‘Can I help you?’ she asked politely. “有什么可以帮您?”她礼貌地问道。
—politeness noun [uncountableU]
THESAURUSpolite behaving or speaking in a way that is correct for the social situation you are in, and showing that you are careful to consider other people’s needs and feelings 有礼貌的,客气的He was too polite to ask how old she was. 他很有礼貌,不会问她的年龄。
‘Excuse me, sir, ’ she said in a polite voice. “先生,对不起打扰一下。”她客气地说道。
well-mannered having good manners and knowing the correct way to behave in social situations 有礼貌的,文雅的,端庄的She was beautifully dressed and very well-mannered. 她穿着优雅,举止很文雅。
well-behaved polite and not causing any trouble – used about children or animals 〔孩子〕彬彬有礼的,规规矩矩的;〔动物〕安分的,听话的The children were very well-behaved. 那些孩子很规矩。
nWell-behaved dogs are welcome at the hotel.
courteous /ˈkɜːtiəs $ ˈkɜːr-/ polite and respectful, and behaving rather formally 有礼貌的,谦恭的The hotel staff were very courteous and helpful. 宾馆的员工非常有礼貌,也很愿意帮忙。
respectful polite and treating someone with respect 恭敬的,有礼貌的He was very respectful towards all my relatives. 他对我所有的亲戚都很礼貌。
‘Thank you, ’ he said with a respectful bow. “谢谢!”他礼貌地鞠躬说道。
civil polite in a formal way, especially when you do not feel very friendly towards someone 有礼貌的,客气的〔尤用于感觉对某人不太友好时〕She’d never liked her father-in-law, but she forced herself to be civil to him. 她一直不喜欢自己的公公,但对他强装客气。
nWhen you’ve stopped arguing, you might be able to have a civil conversation.
deferential formal polite towards someone, especially because they are in a more important social position 【正式】〔对社会地位较高者〕恭敬的,顺从的In those days women were expected to be deferential to men. 在那个年代女人被要求顺从男人。