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; 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.
“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 Literature
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
Last year’s sleeper trend with its treacly allusions to butter churns, quilting bees and starchily kitted-out sister wives, has given way to something less like a costume, less aggressively maidenly.
From Seattle Times
To him Sara White exuded “an intense something concealed by an air of supreme innocence and maidenly reserve.”
From Literature
Then I climbed back into my maidenly spot in the backseat and didn’t say anything else till we got to the field, half an hour after the plane had left.
From Literature
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.
