ladylike
Americanadjective
-
like a lady.
- Synonyms:
- courteous, well-mannered, well-bred
-
befitting a lady.
in a ladylike manner.
- Synonyms:
- courteous, well-mannered, well-bred
adjective
-
like or befitting a lady in manners and bearing; refined and fastidious
-
derogatory (of a man) effeminate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of ladylike
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Vogue noted that some judges and other stars on the show commented on her appearance, with one choreographer encouraging her to be "more ladylike" and learn how to dance in six-inch heels.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
“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
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
Her critique of ladylike behavior was delivered while modeling it at the same time — “back straight, chin up,” just as the poem describes, and shod in Louboutins.
From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2022
She sniffed a ladylike sniff and quickly stuck her handkerchief into a pocket.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
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.
