etiquettelike

Etiquettelike is an adjective used to describe behavior, communication, or design that resembles or adheres to the norms of etiquette. It characterizes actions that align with socially sanctioned cues—such as polite address, turn-taking, appropriate formality, hedging, and explicit consent—intended to facilitate respectful interaction and reduce social friction. The term can apply to people, organizations, or artifacts that follow these norms in practice or in representation.

Origin and usage: The word combines etiquette with the suffix -like. It is a descriptive, not prescriptive, term used to analyze or critique how closely a given interaction mirrors conventional etiquette. In contemporary discourse it is often used to discuss digital communications, customer-service interactions, or user-interface prompts that enforce or simulate polite norms.

Examples and contexts: A chatbot that greets users with formal titles, waits for a prompt before replying, and uses courteous hedges may be described as etiquettelike. Online forums with explicit civility rules, moderation that uses polite language, and email templates that require salutations and closings are likewise etiquettelike in design or tenor. In sociolinguistics, researchers may note etiquettelike patterns as part of politeness strategies in technologized communication.

See also: Etiquette, Politeness theory, Formality (sociology), Civility, Human-computer interaction, User experience.