ladylike

American  

[ley-dee-lahyk] / ˈleɪ diˌlaɪk /

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

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ladylike British  

/ ˈleɪdɪˌlaɪk /

adjective

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

2. derogatory (of a man) effeminate

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Other Word Forms

• ladylikeness noun
• unladylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of ladylike

First recorded in 1580–90; lady + -like

Explanation

Behavior that seems appropriate for a polite, civilized girl or woman is sometimes called ladylike. A little girl might be scolded for not having ladylike manners if she puts her feet up on the table at a fancy restaurant. The adjective ladylike is an old-fashioned way to describe how a dignified or "proper" woman acts. Your grandmother might praise your best friend's ladylike demeanor, not knowing that in her spare time she drives a demolition derby car and is usually covered with mud. Before ladylike was first used in the sixteenth century, the equivalent adjective was ladily.

Example Sentences

“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.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2025

"I was raised to be very ladylike and considerate of others, and respectable. My mother definitely would have liked me to go into more a feminine field," she says.

From BBC • May 17, 2023

Martha was willing to shuck her ladylike trappings — to be ugly and to say ugly things — in ways the actor evidently is not.

From Washington Post • Apr. 22, 2022

It is not exactly androgynous, but it is less overtly ladylike.

From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2020

Bragging wasn’t ladylike, but it was part of the fun of baseball.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

• genteel