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
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
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.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025
And while most of us will want to tell ourselves that murderers are different from the rest of us, a woman like Montgomery — so personable, so ladylike — thwarts that disidentification.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
I was raised in a strict Irish Catholic family, my upbringing almost Victorian, with a focus on being ladylike at all times.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 11, 2020
His clothes would make a preacher sigh and Hunter knew from the ladylike hands the stranger had never made a fist hard enough to smash a melon.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
