Discourteous means rude or lacking good manners. When someone is discourteous, they treat others without the basic respect and politeness that makes daily interactions pleasant. A discourteous person might interrupt others constantly, ignore someone trying to talk to them, or push past people in line without saying “excuse me.”

Being discourteous means treating people as if their feelings and dignity don't matter, showing a pattern of disrespectful behavior that goes beyond occasionally forgetting to say please or thank you.

You might encounter discourteous behavior when a customer snaps at a cashier, when someone talks loudly during a movie, or when a classmate takes the last cookie without asking if anyone else wants it. The opposite of discourteous is courteous: thoughtful, polite, and considerate.

Most people aren't discourteous on purpose. Sometimes stress or distraction makes us forget our manners.