stately

[steyt-lee]

adjective

statelier, stateliest 

1. majestic; imposing in magnificence, elegance, etc..

   a stately home.

2. dignified.

adverb

1. in a stately manner.

stately

/ ˈsteɪtlɪ /

adjective

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

adverb

1. in a stately manner

Other Word Forms

• stateliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stately¹

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

Example Sentences

The BBC has tracked fighting kennels to unlikely places in the UK – from a busy housing estate to the grounds of a stately home.

From BBC

Executive producer Karen Wilson said the team travelled the "length and breadth of Ireland and the UK" before ending up in the North West, which had "stately homes and Dublin-style streets".

From BBC

It may be a stately home but through the years it's been known to throw one hell of a party, especially on 4 July, America's Independence Day.

From BBC

“Too soft, too stately,” a critic friend grumbled at Telluride.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s just a quiet drive beneath a near mile of stately cedars bedecked with strings of multicolor lights.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ceremonial 
• elegant 
• gracious 
• grand 
• imperial 
• imposing 
• luxurious 
• magnificent 
• massive 
• opulent 
• palatial 
• solemn 
• sumptuous 
• towering