Shelley

American  

[shel-ee] / ˈʃɛl i /

noun

1. Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) 1797–1851, English author (wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley).

2. Percy Bysshe 1792–1822, English poet.

3. a male or female given name.

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Shelley British  

/ ˈʃɛlɪ /

noun

1. Mary ( Wollstonecraft ) (ˈwʊlstənˌkrɑːft). 1797–1851, British writer; author of Frankenstein (1818); the daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, she eloped with Percy Bysshe Shelley

2. Percy Bysshe (bɪʃ). 1792–1822, British romantic poet. His works include Queen Mab (1813), Prometheus Unbound (1820), and The Triumph of Life (1824). He wrote an elegy on the death of Keats, Adonais (1821), and shorter lyrics, including the odes "To the West Wind" and "To a Skylark" (both 1820). He was drowned in the Ligurian Sea while sailing from Leghorn to La Spezia

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Shelley

When Shelley Beattie lost her hearing as a child, she became withdrawn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Barry and Shelley Sawkins, from Flintshire, lost more than £30,000 to rogue builder Christian Williams, who left their new extension unfinished, with water pouring into their home.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Actor Shelley Fabares, known for “The Donna Reed Show,” “One Day at a Time,” “Coach” and her hit song “Johnny Angel,” has died at 82.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Shelley Ayres, who also lives opposite the beach at Shoreham, said: "The sea has been very calm for months and months, but today it has got a lot rougher."

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Peanut Butter Shelley, I’d murmur beneath my breath, unable to remember all the poet’s womanly names.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee