stately

[steyt-lee]

See more synonyms for stately on Thesaurus.com

adjective, state·li·er, state·li·est.

majestic; imposing in magnificence, elegance, etc.: a stately home.
dignified.

adverb

in a stately manner.

Origin of stately

First recorded in 1350–1400, stately is from the Middle English word statly. See state, -ly

Related formsstate·li·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stately

Contemporary Examples

Andrew Borden, his two daughters, Lizzie and Emma, and his wife, Abby, lived in the stately abode at 92 Second Street.
Would You Stay in Lizzie Borden’s Ax-Murder House?
Nina Strochlic
October 30, 2014
There is no shortage of fine hotels in Montreal and here too, the small and cool mix with the old and stately.
The Foodie Capital of Canada
Michele Willens
May 31, 2014
Forty-five years ago Runyon referred to Harold as "my good friend, the tall and stately columnist for the New York Mirror."
The Stacks: Harold Conrad Was Many Things, But He Was Never, Ever Dull
Mark Jacobson
March 8, 2014
Sand has pushed through the stately houses in great waves, pouring through the doorways and filling the rooms.
Namibia’s Spooky Skeleton Coast
Nina Strochlic
March 5, 2014
Two hundred and forty miles west of Manhattan, in a stately red brick building perched atop a hill, the party monster waits.
The Party Monster Lives For the Applause: Michael Alig’s Second Act
Caitlin Dickson
February 28, 2014

Historical Examples

Over the octagonal window, too, such draperies fell in stately lines.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
Eudora paced down the sidewalk with a magnificent, stately gait.
The Yates Pride
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
Stately priests in long chitons paced to the music of flutes.
Buried Cities, Part 2
Jennie Hall
Adv.: wsa fengel geatolc gengde, passed on in a stately manner, 1402.
Beowulf
Unknown
The stately residence of Monseigneur was altogether blighted and deserted.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for stately

stately

adjective -lier or -liest

characterized by a graceful, dignified, and imposing appearance or manner

adverb

in a stately manner

Derived Formsstateliness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stately

adj.

"noble, splendid," late 14c., from state (n.1) in a sense of "costly and imposing display" (such as benefits a person of rank and wealth), early 14c.; a sense also preserved in the phrase to lie in state "to be ceremoniously exposed to view before interment" (1705). Hence also stateroom.

stately

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Related Words

Examples from the Web for stately

Contemporary Examples

Andrew Borden, his two daughters, Lizzie and Emma, and his wife, Abby, lived in the stately abode at 92 Second Street.

There is no shortage of fine hotels in Montreal and here too, the small and cool mix with the old and stately.

Forty-five years ago Runyon referred to Harold as "my good friend, the tall and stately columnist for the New York Mirror."

Sand has pushed through the stately houses in great waves, pouring through the doorways and filling the rooms.

Two hundred and forty miles west of Manhattan, in a stately red brick building perched atop a hill, the party monster waits.

Historical Examples

Over the octagonal window, too, such draperies fell in stately lines.

Eudora paced down the sidewalk with a magnificent, stately gait.

Stately priests in long chitons paced to the music of flutes.

Adv.: wsa fengel geatolc gengde, passed on in a stately manner, 1402.

The stately residence of Monseigneur was altogether blighted and deserted.

stately

Word Origin and History for stately

adj.

Origin of stately