womanly

adjective

wom·​an·​ly ˈwu̇-mən-lē How to pronounce womanly (audio)
1
: having qualities traditionally associated with a woman
2
: appropriate in character to a woman

Examples of womanly in a Sentence

She gave off a womanly radiance. the novelist displays a womanly sensitivity to the characters' feelings
Recent Examples on the Web Famous as a prison reformer and Quaker at the turn of the 19th century, Fry is another who, like Nightingale, has been presented as the epitome of womanly virtues. Sarah Gristwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024 This homage to the womanly silhouette—those were certainly child bearing hips, after all—was further characterized by a small group of models who wore elegantly sheer gowns that fully exposed their bodies underneath, including their mons pubis, covered in hair. Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 25 Jan. 2024 The film, adapted from Judy Blume’s original 1970 book of the same title, highlights what most young girls wish for: to be adults with big girl responsibilities, womanly bodies, and the freedom to make their own decisions. Olivia Bria, refinery29.com, 2 May 2023 So Nasta stayed at home to start learning her womanly duties. The Foretold Team, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2023 There were a lot more womanly silhouettes. Ellie Pithers, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2022 The book captures in clear prose both small details such as the delicious contents of a full lunch box and mighty moments of womanly fury. Sarah Schutte, National Review, 27 Feb. 2022 Zelda invited the hedge witches to join her new coven which prays to the female goddess Hecate, who possesses all womanly power. Martha Sorren, refinery29.com, 30 Dec. 2020 Here too was that slightly exasperated pose of womanly maturity. Kerry Howley, The New Republic, 17 Sep. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'womanly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of womanly was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near womanly

Cite this Entry

“Womanly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/womanly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

womanly

adjective
wom·​an·​ly ˈwu̇m-ən-lē How to pronounce womanly (audio)
: marked by qualities generally associated with a woman

More from Merriam-Webster on womanly

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