SINCE 1828

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1

couth

adjective \ ˈküth \

Definition of couth

: sophisticated, polished

Although they disagreed with the speaker, they were couth enough to listen to him respectfully.

Examples of couth in a Sentence

he's remarkably couth for someone who grew up in a small town with limited cultural opportunities

Origin and Etymology of couth

back-formation from uncouth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1896

See Words from the same year

couth Synonyms

Synonyms

accomplished, civilized, cultivated, cultured, genteel, polished, refined

Antonyms

barbaric, barbarous, philistine, uncivilized, uncultured, ungenteel, unpolished, unrefined

Related Words

cerebral, highbrow, highbrowed, high-toned, intellectual, intellectualist, intellectualistic; bourgeois, middlebrow; educated, erudite, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, well-read; civil, courteous, mannerly, polite, well-bred; cosmopolitan, sophisticated, urbane; hypercivilized, overcivilized, oversophisticated

Near Antonyms

ignorant, illiterate, uneducated, unlettered; lowbrow, unintelligent; coarse, ill-bred, ill-mannered; backwoods, provincial, rustic (also rustical); inelegant, polyester, unsophisticated; boorish, churlish, cloddish, clownish, crude, uncouth, vulgar

2

couth

noun

Definition of couth

: polish, refinement

I expected kindness and gentility … but there is such a thing as too much couth.
—S. J. Perelman

Examples of couth in a Sentence

their future son-in-law's lack of couth was of some concern to this patrician couple

Origin and Etymology of couth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1947

See Words from the same year

couth Synonyms

Synonyms

accomplishment, civilization, culture, cultivation, polish, refinement

Antonyms

barbarianism, barbarism, philistinism

Related Words

education, erudition, intellectualism, intellectuality, knowledge, learning, literacy, scholarship; cosmopolitanism, sophistication, urbanity; breeding, genteelness, gentility, manners; class, elegance, grace, taste; civility, courteousness, courtesy, politeness

Near Antonyms

ignorance, illiteracy; parochialism, provincialism, rusticity, unsophistication; boorishness, churlishness, clownishness, coarseness, crudeness, vulgarity

Learn More about couth

See words that rhyme with couth Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for couth

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Examples: couth in a Sentence