stately

[ steyt-lee ]

/ ˈsteɪt li /

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.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for stately

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
And many a stately home did we see, fit for her "who spake such good thoughts natural."
An American Four-In-Hand in Britain|Andrew Carnegie
On the edge of this forest I could see the stately ruins of a splendid country mansion.
In the Field (1914-1915)|Marcel Dupont
In the middle of the Place de l'Étoile is erected a stately triumphal arch, 160 feet high, in memory of Napoleon's victories.
From Pole to Pole|Sven Anders Hedin
A large, stately policeman stood guarding the gates to the street and the docks.
History of Ambulance Company Number 139|Various
She wrapped her shawl about her stately head, smoothed back the fuzzy red-gold locks, and went out into the desolate winter night.
A Girl of the People|L. T. Meade

British Dictionary definitions for stately

stately

/ (ˈsteɪtlɪ) /

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

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

adjective, state·li·er, state·li·est.

adverb

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of stately

Examples from the Web for stately

stately

adjective -lier or -liest

adverb

stately