maidenly
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of maidenly
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at maiden, -ly
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.
And it's adapted with a heightened, soap opera-y sense of dramatic irony conveyed through longing glances, annoyed walking, and maidenly sighing.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2021
Whether playing the ecstatic tissue-tearing child, the photographing parent, the maidenly aunt or avuncular uncle, we are never more “literary” than we are on Christmas morning.
From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2017
She was wearing one of her high-necked maidenly gowns, and her face had a pallor that was like flour paste.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 14, 2013
Perhaps executives at Wal-Mart are indeed right this minute fanning themselves in maidenly horror at the cover image of West's forthcoming album.
From Salon ● Feb. 10, 2011
“I’ll try, but it was a very ungentlemanly thing to do, I didn’t think you could be so sly and malicious, Laurie,” replied Meg, trying to hide her maidenly confusion under a gravely reproachful air.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
