top definitions
related content
examples
british

maidenly

[ meyd-n-lee ]

/ ˈmeɪd n li /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR maidenly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

pertaining to, characteristic of, or befitting a maiden: a maidenly blush.

Origin of maidenly

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at maiden, -ly

OTHER WORDS FROM maidenly

maid·en·li·ness, noun un·maid·en·li·ness, noun un·maid·en·ly, adjective

Words nearby maidenly

maidenhair tree, maidenhair-tree, maidenhair-vine, maidenhead, maidenhood, maidenly, maidhood, maidservant, maidstone, maidu, maiduguri

Example sentences from the Web for maidenly

Ellen looked at the other girl in a kind of rage of maidenly shame.

The Portion of Labor |Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
I was so glad and happy to see him that I could hardly restrain myself to act at all maidenly.

Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall |Charles Major
"From—" she began, but stopped, whether from an instinct of maidenly shame or some secret signal from her mother, I cannot say.

The Forsaken Inn |Anna Katharine Green
A wealth of dark tousled hair made a midnight frame for a lovely countenance in the first flush of maidenly youth.

A Prince of Good Fellows |Robert Barr

Erasmus himself interprets the dominating trait of his being as maidenly coyness.

Erasmus and the Age of Reformation |Johan Huizinga

British Dictionary definitions for maidenly

maidenly

/ (ˈmeɪdənlɪ) /

adjective

of or befitting a maiden

Derived forms of maidenly

maidenliness, noun