gingerly
Americanadverb
adjective
adverb
adjective
Other Word Forms
- gingerliness noun
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”; genital ) + -ly
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.
Stepping gingerly across the metal floor, it holds its four-fingered hands at chest level until it reaches its objective: a 25-pound basket of bearing components fresh from a stamping press.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026
After saving two break points at the start of the deciding set, Raducanu was broken again as she gingerly failed to chase down a drop shot, before calling out the trainer.
From BBC • Feb. 9, 2026
Near the middle of the fourth quarter, he lost a fumble and got hit so hard he lay on the ground for several moments before teammates gingerly helped him to his feet.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026
In the first five days, forensic experts gingerly removed earth, millimeter by millimeter, recovering 3,463 bone fragments.
From Barron's • Nov. 29, 2025
“Sometimes,” she said gingerly, “when there’s been a death, it drives a family apart, instead of together.”
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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.
