stately

stately

adjective

Definition of STATELY

1

having or showing a formal and serious or reserved manner <the governor watched with stately aloofness as his wife charmed the party guests>

Synonyms august, distingué, distinguished, imposing, portly, solemn, staid, stately

Related Words decorous, proper, seemly; grave, grim, po-faced [British], sober, somber (or sombre); aristocratic, elegant, elevated, handsome, lordly, magisterial, majestic, noble

Near Antonyms coarse, crass, crude, improper, indecent, uncouth, unseemly, vulgar

Antonyms flighty, frivolous, giddy, goofy, silly, undignified

2

having or showing elegance <a stately dowager in an evening gown>

Synonyms classy, courtly, fine, graceful, handsome, majestic, refined, stately, tasteful

Related Words august, baronial, gallant, glorious, grand, heroic (also heroical), imposing, lavish, luxurious, magnificent, monumental, noble, ornate, proud, regal, rich, royal, splendid, superb; artful, genteel, polished, sophisticated; classic, conservative, exquisite, quiet, restrained, simple, understated; aristocratic, patrician; à la mode (also a la mode), chic, fashionable, in, modish, posh, sharp, sleek, smart, snappy, stylish, swagger, swank (or swanky); affected, grandiose, ostentatious, pretentious, recherché

Near Antonyms cheesy, coarse, crude, flamboyant, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, grotesque, loud, raffish, splashy, tacky, tawdry, ticky-tacky (also ticky-tack); rough-edged, rough-hewn, rude, trashy, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar

Antonyms dowdy, graceless, inelegant, styleless, tasteless, unfashionable, unhandsome, unstylish

3

large and impressive in size, grandeur, extent, or conception <stately plantation homes that are now open to the public as museums>

Synonyms august, baronial, epic, gallant, glorious, grandiose, heroic (also heroical), Homeric, imperial, imposing, magnific, magnificent, majestic, massive, monumental, noble, proud, regal, royal, splendid, stately

Related Words colossal, monstrous, prodigious, stupendous, tremendous; kingly, lordly, princely, queenly; awesome, awful, cosmic (also cosmical), sublime, wondrous; formidable, impressive, prepossessing, redoubtable; apocalyptic (also apocalyptical), inflated, operatic, overblown, pompous; marvelous (or marvellous), superb, terrific, wonderful; extravagant, lavish, luxurious, opulent, palatial, palatine, sumptuous; gorgeous, resplendent, splendiferous; extraordinary, killer, remarkable, sensational, striking; celestial, divine, heavenly

Near Antonyms lowly, modest, unprepossessing; average, common, mediocre, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, second-rate; abject, mean, meretricious, shabby, sordid; insignificant, measly, paltry, petty, puny, trifling, trivial

Antonyms humble, unheroic, unimposing, unimpressive

4

very dignified in form, tone, or style <a stately composition that has served as the musical accompaniment for countless graduations and other ceremonial occasions>

Synonyms eloquent, formal, high-flown, lofty, majestic, stately, towering

Related Words affected, bombastic, declamatory, florid, flowery, grandiloquent, grandiose, highfalutin (also hifalutin), oratorical, pompous, pretentious, rhetorical (also rhetoric), stilted; Attic, cultured, refined; classy, courtly, fine, graceful, tasteful; aristocratic, genteel, patrician; correct, educated, grammatical, proper; academic (also academical), bookish, learned, literary

Near Antonyms casual, colloquial, conversational, informal, nonformal, slangy, unbookish, unliterary, vernacular; coarse, common, crass, crude, gross, ill-bred, indecent, lowbred, lowbrow, rough, rough-hewn, rude, tasteless, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar; incorrect, substandard, uneducated, ungrammatical, unlearned

Antonyms ineloquent, low, undignified