polite

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Marked by or showing consideration for others, tact, and observance of accepted social usage.
2. adj. Refined; elegant: polite society.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Polished; smooth; lustrous; bright.
2. Polished, refined, or elegant in speech, manner, or behavior; well-bred; courteous; complaisant; obliging: said of persons or their speech or behavior, etc.: as, polite society; he was very polite.
3. Polished or refined in style, or employing such a style: now rarely applied to persons: as, polite learning; polite literature (that is, belleslettres).
4. Synonyms Civil, Polite, Courteous, Urbane, Complaisant, gracious, affable, courtly, gentlemanly, ladylike. Civil, literally, applies to one who fulfils the duty of a citizen; it may mean simply not rude, or observant of the external courtesies of intercourse, or quick to do and say gratifying and complimentary things. Polite applies to one who shows a polished civility, who has a higher training in ease and gracefulness of manners; politeness is a deeper, more comprehensive, more delicate, and perhaps more genuine thing than civility. Polite, though much abused, is becoming the standard word for the bearing of a refined and kind person toward others. Courteous, literally, expresses that style of politeness which belongs to courts: a courteous man is one who is gracefully respectful in his address and manner—one who exhibits a union of dignified complaisance and kindness. The word applies to all sincere kindness and attention. Urbane, literally city-like, expresses a sort of politeness which is not only sincere and kind, but peculiarly suave and agreeable. Complaisant applies to one who pleases by being pleased, or obliges and is polite by yielding personal preferences; it may represent mere fawning, but generally does not. See genteel.
5. [⟨ L. politus, pp. of polire, polish: see polish, verb] To polish; refine.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Well-mannered, civilized.
2. adj. Smooth, polished, burnished.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Smooth; polished.
2. adj. Smooth and refined in behavior or manners; well bred; courteous; complaisant; obliging; civil.
3. adj. Characterized by refinement, or a high degree of finish.
4. v. To polish; to refine; to render polite.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.
2. adj. marked by refinement in taste and manners
3. adj. not rude; marked by satisfactory (or especially minimal) adherence to social usages and sufficient but not noteworthy consideration for others