Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for courtly. Search instead for courtl.
Definitions

courtly

[kawrt-lee, kohrt-] / ˈkɔrt li, ˈkoʊrt- /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The limpid four-movement ballet is both courtly and casual, with its intricately evolving choreographic patterns gently beguiling, as if seen in a crystalline hall of mirrors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

Here, onstage at the Paradise club in Boston, his singing has a courtly charm that makes “She’s Got a Way” feel like Joel’s version of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025

The courtly gentleman guided women around the floor to big band standards with all the aplomb of teenage boys waltzing at a cotillion dance they’ve been forced to attend by their parents.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2025

Best of all is the lively triple-time finale, which evokes the long history of courtly hunting music, with an alluring short section in minor key.

From New York Times • May 9, 2024

It gave me the liberty of looking at everyone about me, a freedom not allowed to courtly women.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein




Vocabulary lists containing courtly