maidenly
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- maidenliness noun
- unmaidenliness noun
- unmaidenly adjective
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
The white made her look strangely innocent, almost maidenly, but there were points of color on her cheeks.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
