ladylike

ladylike

English

Etymology

lady +‎ -like

Adjective

ladylike (comparative more ladylike, superlative most ladylike)

1. Of or related to the appearance or behaviour of a well-mannered woman.
   • 1565, Thomas Cooper, Thesaurus Linguæ Romanæ & Britannicæ, […]‎, London:

     Coniux imperioſa. Ouidius. A ladylike wife that will be obeyed. […] Dura domina, imperioſa. Cic. A rigorous and ladilike dame that will be obeyed.

   • 1906 November 29, Nesbit, W. D., “The Querist”, in Life, volume 48, number 1257, page 673:

     Is it ladylike to giggle? / Is it ladylike to wink? / Is it ladylike to ride a horse astraddle? / Is it ladylike to wiggle? / Is it ladylike to drink? / Is it ladylike upon the beach to paddle? […]

   • 1985, Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, →ISBN, page 165:

     Pirates, these women, with their ladylike briefcases for the loot and their horsy, acquisitive teeth.

Synonyms

• ladily

Derived terms

• ladylikely
• unladylike
• unladylikely

Translations

of or connected with the appearance or behaviour of a well-mannered woman

Afrikaans: keurig Albanian: dinjitoz Chinese: Mandarin: 大家閨秀 (zh) (dàjiā guīxiù) Estonian: peenekombeline German: damenhaft (de) Irish: banúil, modhúil Japanese: 女らしい (onnarashii) Manx: benoil, ooasle, bwoirrin Serbo-Croatian: ženskast (sh) Swedish: ladylik

See also

• gentlemanly
• etiquette