gentlewomanlyadj.
/ˈdʒɛntlˌwʊmənli/, U.S. /ˈdʒɛn(t)əlˌwʊmənli/ 1. Of a quality, occupation, thing, etc.: that is characteristic of or befits a gentlewoman; having features associated with the status, character, or behaviour of a gentlewoman. Cf. gentlewomanlike adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > [adjective] > well-mannered > well-bred > specific
gentlemanlya1450
gentlemanlike1565
ladylike1566
gentlewomanly1581
gentlewomanlikea1626
gentlemany1660
gentlemany1728
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > reputability or honourableness > [adjective] > gentlemanly or gentlewomanly
gentlemanlya1450
gentlemanlike1581
gentlewomanly1581
gentlewomanlikea1626
gentlemany1728
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > aristocracy or upper class > gentry > [adjective] > appropriate to a gentlewoman
gentlewomanlike1581
gentlewomanly1581
1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxviii. 180 To haue leasure to take delite in these gentlewomanly qualities, is no worke for who will.
1707 C. Cibber Double Gallant i. 12 Not but I give her a good Gentlewomanly Education; for I have taught her several Tunes, my self, upon the Dulcimer.
1824 M. R. Mitford Our Village (1863) I. 217 I imbibed..a love of strong green tea, for which gentlewomanly excitation Mossy had a remarkable predilection.
1936 Launceston (Tasmania) Examiner 11 Dec. 18/4 Lady Hartington likes the idea of girls learning the gentlewomanly accomplishments of fine needlework and the domestic arts.
2003 Romance Notes 43 232 Carmen..is flagrantly heedless of gentlewomanly decorum.
2. Of a woman: having the appearance or manner of a gentlewoman; refined, well-mannered, courteous. Cf. earlier gentlewomanlike adj. 2.
ΚΠ
1803 J. Bristed Ανθρωπλανομενος II. 326 A very gentlewomanly female, in dress, person, and address, received us.
1930 Morning Herald (Uniontown, Pa.) 26 Mar. 4/4 Nazimova came back to Broadway last week..as the serene and gentlewomanly heroine of Turgenev's serene play, ‘A Month in the Country’.
2014 Guardian (Nexis) 17 Dec. Being gentlewomanly is the perfect midlife style solution: the figure-flattering jacket, the essential black trousers, the go-everywhere mannish brogues.
Derivatives
ˈgentlewomanliness n. now rare the quality of being gentlewomanly in appearance or manner; courtesy, politeness, refinement.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [noun] > appearance of good breeding
gentlewomanliness1808
lady-look1824
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > [noun] > good manners or polite behaviour > as a result of good breeding > specific
gentlemanship1541
gentlemanliness1565
gentlewomanliness1808
ladyhood1820
ladyism1826
ladylikeness1844
gentlemanlikeness1849
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > reputability or honourableness > [noun] > gentlemanliness or gentlewomanliness
gentlerya1275
gentlemanship1541
gentlemanry1550
gentlemanliness1565
gentleshipa1568
gentlemanhood1767
gentlewomanliness1808
gentlewomanhood1853
1808 M. Wilmot Jrnl. 16 Aug. in M. Wilmot & C. Wilmot Russ. Jrnls. (1934) iii. 368 He had felt..the Gentlewomanliness of her manners.
1873 B. Harte Fiddletown in Wks. (1880) III. 59 She had..a certain languid grace which passed easily for gentlewomanliness.
1987 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 29 Mar. 12/1 The militance of my generational perspective began to run counter to the persistent gentlewomanliness of her message.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2021; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1581