gingerly
Americanadverb
adjective
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gingerly
First recorded in 1510–20; ginger-, perhaps from Middle French gensor, genzor “delicate, pretty” (positive use of comparative of gent “high-born, noble,” also “beautiful, shapely,” from Latin genitus “begotten”; see genital) + -ly
Explanation
If something needs to be done with great care and caution, you should do it gingerly — like gingerly holding a newborn baby or gingerly creeping down the creaky stairs when you're trying to sneak out. Before it came to mean “extremely cautiously” in 1600, gingerly meant “elegantly, daintily.” In fact, it stems from the Latin word gentius, meaning “(well)-born.” But today it has less to do with elegance and more to do with a delicate touch, usually used to avoid hurting something or someone. For example, you might want to gingerly hug your friend with the broken rib to avoid making her wince in pain.
Vocabulary lists containing gingerly
A Long Walk to Water
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yet, “To Share a Stomach” lays down — gingerly, gently — an alternate connective thread, spun from a mutual recognition of fallibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
At one booth, visitors pointed their phones at a humanoid wearing an apron as it gingerly reached for a toy chicken drumstick before clamping down and lifting the fake meat into a bucket.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
A local handyman, Arsenio García, gingerly guarded a carry-on with a melting cold pack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Shadow gingerly places one taloned foot, then the other, on Jackie as she hunkers down on the nest.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2026
His bicycle was where he had left it, leaning against the wall, and gingerly, half hopping, he made for it.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
