lordly

[ lawrd-lee ]
See synonyms for: lordlylordliness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,lord·li·er, lord·li·est.
  1. suitable for a lord, as trappings or ceremonies; grand or magnificent.

  2. insolently imperious; haughty; arrogant; overbearing: lordly contempt.

  1. of or relating to a lord.

  2. having the character or attributes of a lord.

  3. befitting a lord, as actions: lordly manners.

adverb
  1. Also lord·li·ly. in the manner of a lord.

Origin of lordly

1
before 1000; Middle English; Old English hlāfordlīc.See lord, -ly

Other words for lordly

Opposites for lordly

Other words from lordly

  • lord·li·ness, noun

Words Nearby lordly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lordly in a sentence

  • It was no surprise that the lordly Senate approved a creatively enhanced tax deal on Monday.

    The GOP's Tax Deal Jitters | John Batchelor | December 14, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Chris writes about his father, especially, as if observing an august figure, indeed, someone quite lordly.

  • So when he met Mrs. Jones, he doffed his hat in his usual lordly manner, and paused when she came to a stop.

    The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
  • With his vast income, acquired from the spoils of nearly every country in Europe, he maintained his high rank in lordly fashion.

    Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
  • He walked around in his lordly way, cocking his eye at his little yellow sons and daughters as they chased the fat little bugs.

    Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • Splendid was the emir in form and face, with broad shoulders and lordly height and poise.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • The curve of the lip and the lordly poise for an instant disconcerted even the Syrians.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis

British Dictionary definitions for lordly

lordly

/ (ˈlɔːdlɪ) /


adjective-lier or -liest
  1. haughty; arrogant; proud

  2. of or befitting a lord

adverb
  1. archaic in the manner of a lord

Derived forms of lordly

  • lordliness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012