Courtly

//ˈkɔɹtli// adj, adv

adj, adv ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Befitting of a royal court; reflecting the manners or behaviour of people at court.

    "He swept off his hat and made a deep courtly bow."

  2. 2
    Of or relating to a royal court.

    "She tried to remain aloof from courtly intrigues."

  3. 3
    Overly eager to please or obey. obsolete

    "Here FLATT’RY, eldest born of guile, Weaves with rare skill the silken smile, The courtly cringe, the supple bow, The private squeeze, the Levee vow,"

Adjective
  1. 1
    refined or imposing in manner or appearance; befitting a royal court wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    In the manner of a royal court; in a manner befitting of a royal court.

    "Then will I deck thee Princely, instruct thee courtly, And present thee to the Queene as my gift."

Synonyms

All synonyms
dignifiedadulatoryaristocraticattentiveaugustbland

Example

More examples

"The troubadours were medieval lyrical poets whose school originated in Occitania. They sang of courtly love and gained disciples in northern France and Germany, where they were called minstrels."

Etymology

From Middle English courtly, equivalent to court + -ly.

Related phrases

courtly love

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.