seemly
Americanadjective
-
fitting or becoming with respect to propriety or good taste; decent; decorous.
Your outburst of rage was hardly seemly.
- Synonyms:
- meet, appropriate, proper, right
-
suitable or appropriate; fitting.
a seemly gesture.
- Synonyms:
- meet, appropriate, proper, right
-
of pleasing appearance; handsome.
adverb
adjective
-
proper or fitting
-
obsolete pleasing or handsome in appearance
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of seemly
1175–1225; Middle English semely < Old Norse sæmiligr honorable; derivative of sœmr ( see seem)
Explanation
You don't want to seem anything less than seemly, especially in the presence of the Queen. Only seemly behavior is allowed when she's around. Seemly behavior is polite, decent, upright, and appropriate. You'll need to get schooled in the ways of more seemly people before you can be allowed in the fanciest restaurant in town. At the moment, your ratty clothes, smelly feet, and bad manners can only be described as "unseemly" — which is, of course, the opposite of seemly. One way to remember the meaning of seemly is to think of how you'd like to "seem" to others. Chances are the answer is something like seemly. Unless you enjoy seeming like a big mess.
Vocabulary lists containing seemly
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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.
Antonio, you're too bold; this usurp'd liberty To abuse a man of so much merit is not Seemly in you: nay, I'll term it sauciness.
From A Select Collection of Old English Plays Volume 14 of 15 by Dodsley, Robert
Seemly it is to answer your questions truly.
From The Homeric Hymns A New Prose Translation; and Essays, Literary and Mythological by Lang, Andrew
On the right we have Bill Riley, a Wells Fargo detective from Omaha, on the left Tom Seemly from the Pinkerton Agency in San Francisco.
From The Heart of the Range by White, William Patterson
See, the Church her head once more hath lifted; Seemly order dwells within her gate; God-sent art adorns her holy precincts, And no more she lieth desolate.
From Stones of the Temple Lessons from the Fabric and Furniture of the Church by Field, Walter
But two mantles they leave and a tunic of beautiful texture, Seemly for wrapping the dead as the ransomer carries him homeward.
From Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 365, March, 1846 by Various
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.
