1
as in gesture
an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners
"how are you" is merely a social pleasantry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
his after-dinner speeches usually include the sort of gentle pleasantry that raises a chuckle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pleasantry
These pleasantries, while seemingly benign, take extra processing power, increasing electricity use and, ultimately, expense.
—
William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
That pleasantry starts to end on June 8, 2014, when Resy launches itself against the ramparts of the OpenTable juggernaut and the reservation-platform wars began.
—New York Times, 7 May 2025
The Liberty made sure to exchange pleasantries early.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
But beneath the pleasantries, motives start to be questioned leading
to a devastating series of events.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pleasantry
William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
That pleasantry starts to end on June 8, 2014, when Resy launches itself against the ramparts of the OpenTable juggernaut and the reservation-platform wars began.
—New York Times, 7 May 2025
The Liberty made sure to exchange pleasantries early.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 28 May 2025
But beneath the pleasantries, motives start to be questioned leading
to a devastating series of events.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pleasantry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleasantry
Noun
-
The gesture of the embrace is a simple but powerful moment, a symbol of closeness, friendship, love, and forgiveness.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
30 June 2025
-
These unexpected gestures show appreciation and deepen the relationship.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
And beyond the viral jokes littering Palmer’s comments are thousands of seemingly serious comments calling her video just an example of how leaning into feminine roles can be self care.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
11 July 2025
-
The jokes about alligators attacking immigrants while in detention have been casually tossed around by President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis and conservative and far-right influencers.—
Raisa Habersham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
The royal family’s official website explains that there are no strict codes of conduct for meeting royals, only suggested traditional courtesies.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
8 July 2025
-
The latest warning comes courtesy of ThreatFabric, which has been tracking Anatsa for years.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
During the day out, the two took a dip in the pool and appeared to share laughs throughout the day.—
Starr Bowenbank,
People.com,
11 July 2025
-
The two had several tough plays against one another, and shared plenty of laughs on the court.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pleasantry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleasantry. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share