doubtcourtesy

/ˌdaʊtˈkɜːtəsi/nounVerified New

The elaborate politeness patients perform when seeking a second opinion, so the first clinician will not take it as an insult.

"I just want to be thorough," "my partner insisted" — the second opinion is framed as anyone's idea but one's own. The dance consumes energy that illness does not have to spare, and often delays the very step it circles. Doubtcourtesy is the etiquette tax on disagreeing with expertise.

Etym. — doubt + courtesy — the two forces in tension during every "I don't want you to think I doubt you" speech.

Novelty check: NEW · checked 2026-11-08

review evidence: wordstoreview/review-batch-3-06-health.md

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Method: Editorial batch review — per-word exact-form web search (WebSearch/Tavily) per docs/REVIEW-criteria.md §2