courtier's

Palace insider's possession

Courtier's is the possessive form of courtier, a person who attends a royal court.

A courtier's manner suggests the elegant, polished behavior expected at court—or the flattery and scheming associated with it: a courtier's bow, a courtier's smooth tongue.

The word often implies calculated charm or political maneuvering: He had a courtier's instinct for pleasing those in power.

behavior

flattery

Excessive insincere praise

deferenceYielding to another's judgment
bowingBending forward in deference
curtsyingFormal feminine bow

obsequiousness · fawning · servility · charm · discretion · scheming · intrigue · maneuvering · diplomacy · sycophancy

lifestyle

privilege

Exclusive right or benefit

patronageSupporter's financial backing
ambitionDesire for achievement
rivalryOngoing contest between opponents

gossip · alliance · banquet · masquerade · duel · gambling · leisure · hunting · falconry · dancing

domain

palace

Monarch's official residence

throne roomSovereign's formal audience hall
antechamberEntry room before main
nobilityTitled ruling class

aristocracy · chamber · gallery · audience hall · privy council · inner circle · royal household · sovereign · monarch · entourage

attire

finery

Elegant, showy clothing

silkFine woven insect fiber
velvetThick-pile textile
brocadeRaised-pattern luxury fabric

ruff · doublet · jewels · embroidery · lace · powdered wig · codpiece · hose · livery · regalia

Opposites

social position and proximity to power

courtier'speasant's

Belonging to agricultural laborer

commoner's · servant's · slave's · pauper's · beggar's

lifestyle and setting

courtier'sfarmer's

Belonging to crop cultivator

laborer's · peasant's · hermit's · ascetic's · monk's

relationship to authority

courtier'smonarch's

Of a reigning ruler

king's · sovereign's · exile's · ruler's · critic's

Family

courtier, courtiers

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G