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ladylike

[ley-dee-lahyk]
See more synonyms for ladylike on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. like a lady.
  2. befitting a lady: in a ladylike manner.
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Origin of ladylike

First recorded in 1580–90; lady + -like
Related formsla·dy·like·ness, nounun·la·dy·like, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for ladylike on Thesaurus.com
1, 2. well-bred, well-mannered, courteous.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for unladylike

Historical Examples

  • With which unladylike remark she dismissed him from her mind as a possible ally.

    Good Indian

    B. M. Bower

  • Mrs. Erveng won't let me play with Hilliard, I'm sure she won't, 'that's so unladylike!'

    We Ten

    Lyda Farrington Kraus

  • In the very height of their emotion they knew it to be unmanly or unladylike.

    A Room With A View

    E. M. Forster

  • But he did not know that she indulged in that unladylike trick only after dark.

    The Tale of Betsy Butterfly

    Arthur Scott Bailey

  • Ladies should not use unfair or unladylike means to sell their wares.

    Social Life

    Maud C. Cooke

British Dictionary definitions for unladylike

ladylike

adjective
  1. like or befitting a lady in manners and bearing; refined and fastidious
  2. derogatory (of a man) effeminate
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Derived Formsladylikeness, 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 unladylike

ladylike

adj.

also lady-like, 1580s; see lady + like. Middle English had ladily "queenly, exalted" (late 14c.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper