ladylike

[ley-dee-lahyk]

adjective

1. like a lady.

   Synonyms: courteous, well-mannered, well-bred

2. befitting a lady.

   in a ladylike manner.

   Synonyms: courteous, well-mannered, well-bred

ladylike

/ ˈleɪdɪˌlaɪk /

adjective

1. like or befitting a lady in manners and bearing; refined and fastidious

2. derogatory,  (of a man) effeminate

Other Word Forms

• ladylikeness noun
• unladylike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ladylike¹

First recorded in 1580–90; lady + -like

Example Sentences

Komasa knows authoritarianism in its most flagrant, brutal forms, but his new film “Anniversary” imagines a scenario in which fascism doesn’t stomp in, jackbooted, but creeps, pretty and ladylike, on kitten-heeled feet.

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Joking aside, she adds, “People were telling me I was weird, that what I was doing wasn’t very ‘ladylike.’”

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“The unflappable Pointer sails above the general mayhem with a ladylike aplomb that makes her subsequent emotional epiphany all the more moving,” The Times wrote about Pointer’s performance in that show.

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Female athletes made their debut at the modern Olympics in 1900 but were limited to a few sports deemed suitably ladylike, such as golf and croquet.

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Her mother, Anne, was a stickler for “pure” and ladylike behavior, which cramped Alice’s imagination.

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Related Words

• genteel