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nce with the wishes of others; a deportment indicative of a desire to please; courtesy; civility. These [ladies] . . . are by the just complaisance and gallantry of our nation the most powerful part of our people. Addison. They strive with their own hearts and keep them down, In complaisance to all the fools in town. Y…

An expression, by word or act, of approbation, regard, confidence, civility, or admiration; a flattering speech or attention; a ceremonious greeting; as, to send one's compliments to a friend. Tedious waste of time, to sit and hear So many hollow compliments and lies. Milton. Many a compliment politely penned. Cowper.…

The customary act of civility on any occasion; a bow or a courtesy.

o a person in power; conduct or address designed to gain favor; courtliness of manners; civility; compliment; flattery. No solace could her paramour intreat Her once to show, ne court, nor dalliance. Spenser. I went to make my court to the Dike and Duches of Newcastle. Evelyn.

Politeness; civility; urbanity; courtliness. And trust thy honest-offered courtesy, With oft is sooner found in lowly sheds, With smoky rafters, than in tapestry walls And courts of princes, where it first was named, And yet is most pretended. Milton. Pardon me, Messer Claudio, if once more I use the ancient courtesies…

To move or behave with servility or exaggerated humility; to fawn; as, a creeping sycophant. To come as humbly as they used to creep. Shak.

To draw one's self together as in fear or servility; to bend or crouch with base humility; to wince; hence; to make court in a degrading manner; to fawn. When they were come up to the place where the lions were, the boys that went before were glad to cringe behind, for they were afraid of the lions. Bunyan. Sly hypocri…

ractice declamation by students. The public listened with little emotion, but with much civility, to five acts of monotonous declamation. Macaulay.

ejected himself even unto the hells. Udall. Sometimes she dejects her eyes in a seeming civility; and many mistake in her a cunning for a modest look. Fuller.

or derelict children bear to their mothers, have no grounds of nature or assiduity but civility and opinion. Jer. Taylor.

Duty; service owed; hence, due act of civility or respect; -- now usually in the plural; as, they paid their devoirs to the ladies. "Do now your devoid, young knights!" Chaucer.

Rudeness of behavior or language; ill manners; manifestation of disrespect; incivility. Be calm in arguing; for fierceness makes Error a fault, and truth discourtesy. Herbert.

an act which contravenes the will or desires of; to offend by an act of unkindness or incivility; to displease; to refrain from obliging; to be unaccommodating to. Those . . . who slight and disoblige their friends, shall infallibly come to know the value of them by having none when they shall most need them. South. My…

Want of respect or reverence; disesteem; incivility; discourtesy. Impatience of bearing the least affront or disrespect. Pope.

or lacking, sense, knowledge, or courtesy; as, empty brains; an empty coxcomb. That in civility thou seem'st so empty. Shak.

A letter or epistle; -- so called in civility or compliment; as, your favor of yesterday is received.

To grin with an air of civility; to leer. [Obs.] Grinning and fleering as though they went to a bear baiting. Latimer.

Civility or polite attention to ladies; in a bed sense, attention or courtesy designed to win criminal favors from a female; freedom of principle or practice with respect to female virtue; intrigue.

Courtesy; civility; complaisance. [Obs.] To show us so much gentry and good will. Shak.

A familiar appellation of civility, equivalent to "My friend", "Good sir", "Mister;" -- sometimes used ironically. [Obs.] With you, goodman boy, an you please. Shak.