lordly

American  

[lawrd-lee] / ˈlɔrd li /

adjective

lordlier, lordliest

1. suitable for a lord, as trappings or ceremonies; grand or magnificent.

   Synonyms:

   lofty, noble, dignified, regal, majestic

2. insolently imperious; haughty; arrogant; overbearing.

   lordly contempt.

   Synonyms:

   domineering

   Antonyms:

   meek

3. of or relating to a lord.

4. having the character or attributes of a lord.

5. befitting a lord, as actions.

   lordly manners.

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adverb

1. Also lordlily. in the manner of a lord.

lordly British  

/ ˈlɔːdlɪ /

adjective

1. haughty; arrogant; proud

2. of or befitting a lord

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adverb

1. archaic in the manner of a lord

Other Word Forms

• lordliness noun

Etymology

Origin of lordly

before 1000; Middle English; Old English hlāfordlīc. See lord, -ly

Example Sentences

That team became the lordly Yankees, an “aesthetically evil” and “universally despised dynasty” that, nonetheless, Mr. Gittlitz grudgingly admits, has a lot of working-class fans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Roan, dressed as a lordly knight, emerges from a castle and conquers it.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2025

The nobility owned a significant percentage of the land of France outright – about one-third – and had lordly rights over most of the rest of it.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

Arya meanwhile gets on a ship bound for “west of Westeros,” and Bronn, having perhaps threatened Tyrion with his crossbow offscreen at some point, minds the money of Westeros from a lordly perch at Highgarden.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2019

They bent the knee when they saw the boys, and Robb greeted each of them with a lordly nod.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin