courtesy title
nounDefinition of courtesy title
1
: a title (such as "Lord" added to the Christian name of a peer's younger son) used in addressing certain lineal relatives of British peers
2
: a title (such as "Professor" for any teacher) taken by the user and commonly accepted without consideration of official right
Examples of courtesy title in a Sentence
the courtesy titles “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Ms.,” “Dr.,” etc.
As a child, he was taught to address his elders with the courtesy titles “sir” and “ma'am.”
Recent Examples on the Web
But Meghan and Harry have chosen to forgo that courtesy title for their son. — Elizabeth Angell, Town & Country, "What Will Prince Harry's Son Archie's Title Be When Prince Charles Becomes King?," 11 May 2019 According to Debrett's, a courtesy title is a title such as Lord, Lady or The Honourable, which is usually used by the sons, daughters, daughters-in-law, brothers, sisters, and sisters-in-law of a peer. — Temi Adebowale, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why Amelia Windsor and Kitty Spencer Are Titled "Lady" Instead of "Princess" or "Duchess"," 3 Aug. 2018 But with the courtesy titles at Wimbledon, the occasional unforced error is made. — Karen Crouse, New York Times, "At Wimbledon, Married Women Are Still ‘Mrs.’," 4 July 2018 Another Grand Slam event, the French Open, also uses the courtesy titles Madame and Mademoiselle for the women — but not Monsieur for the men. — Karen Crouse, New York Times, "At Wimbledon, Married Women Are Still ‘Mrs.’," 4 July 2018 The new parents could also decline the courtesy titles, like Princess Anne did with Peter and Zara Phillips. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Are Expecting Their First Child," 15 Oct. 2018 That means Pippa will eventually inherit a courtesy title too: Lady of Glen Affric. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "Who Are Pippa Middleton and James Matthews?," 19 May 2018 This quirk is because being born a prince or princess is more of a courtesy title (see: Eugenie and Beatrice). — Asher Fogle, Good Housekeeping, "Why You Should Stop Calling Her Princess Kate," 24 Apr. 2018 Highland Titles, which also sells plots of land (and accompanying courtesy titles) for $44, says that residents must call the town selectman’s office for individual codes that a dedicated secretary will distribute. — Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, "Scotland Is Giving Everyone in This Tiny Connecticut Town the Title of Lord or Lady," 18 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'courtesy title.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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