Synonyms of stately

stately

adjective

ˈstāt-lē 

1

as in imposing

having or showing a formal and serious or reserved manner

the governor watched with stately aloofness as his wife charmed the party guests

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imposing
• solemn
• distinguished
• portly
• dignified
• aristocratic
• decorous
• staid
• elegant
• handsome
• distingué
• august
• sombre
• somber
• proper
• seemly
• majestic
• magisterial
• lordly
• grim
• grave
• po-faced
• noble
• sober
• elevated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• frivolous
• silly
• goofy
• undignified
• giddy
• uncouth
• crude
• improper
• coarse
• unseemly
• vulgar
• flighty
• indecent
• crass

2

as in graceful

having or showing elegance

a stately dowager in an evening gown

Synonyms & Similar Words

• graceful
• elegant
• handsome
• majestic
• courtly
• regal
• fine
• magnificent
• royal
• gallant
• glorious
• luxurious
• grand
• proud
• classy
• aristocratic
• tasteful
• ornate
• stylish
• noble
• simple
• rich
• superb
• refined
• quiet
• lavish
• imposing
• sophisticated
• baronial
• fashionable
• monumental
• exquisite
• heroic
• sleek
• heroical
• polished
• splendid
• genteel
• classic
• understated
• patrician
• conservative
• restrained
• chic
• august
• artful
• swank
• swanky
• modish
• ostentatious
• posh
• in
• grandiose
• pretentious
• smart
• a la mode
• swagger
• snappy
• sharp
• recherché
• affected
• à la mode

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unfashionable
• graceless
• dowdy
• inelegant
• gaudy
• garish
• loud
• raffish
• unhandsome
• flamboyant
• tasteless
• flashy
• unstylish
• grotesque
• crude
• coarse
• tawdry
• glitzy
• tacky
• splashy
• uncouth
• cheesy
• styleless
• vulgar
• trashy
• rough-hewn
• unpolished
• rude
• ticky-tacky
• uncultured
• uncultivated
• unrefined
• ticky-tack
• rough-edged

3

as in magnificent

large and impressive in size, grandeur, extent, or conception

stately plantation homes that are now open to the public as museums

Synonyms & Similar Words

• magnificent
• glorious
• imposing
• majestic
• regal
• epic
• grand
• royal
• massive
• proud
• monumental
• imperial
• impressive
• gallant
• colossal
• heroic
• noble
• wonderful
• splendid
• heroical
• grandiose
• luxurious
• baronial
• operatic
• Homeric
• lavish
• august
• formidable
• remarkable
• tremendous
• marvellous
• kingly
• princely
• gorgeous
• cosmic
• marvelous
• sublime
• queenly
• extravagant
• extraordinary
• lordly
• palatial
• superb
• monstrous
• wondrous
• awesome
• stupendous
• terrific
• striking
• magnific
• prodigious
• opulent
• cosmical
• sumptuous
• heavenly
• celestial
• apocalyptic
• divine
• redoubtable
• prepossessing
• inflated
• pompous
• resplendent
• awful
• palatine
• sensational
• apocalyptical
• overblown
• killer
• splendiferous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humble
• modest
• lowly
• unimpressive
• unprepossessing
• unimposing
• ordinary
• average
• common
• unheroic
• shabby
• sordid
• abject
• mediocre
• mean
• meretricious
• trifling
• petty
• puny
• trivial
• second-rate
• insignificant
• paltry
• run-of-the-mill
• measly

4

as in majestic

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 & Similar Words

• majestic
• formal
• eloquent
• graceful
• rhetoric
• towering
• cultured
• rhetorical
• lofty
• aristocratic
• literary
• elevated
• grammatical
• courtly
• proper
• florid
• bombastic
• high-flown
• grandiose
• flowery
• declamatory
• grandiloquent
• fine
• patrician
• refined
• pretentious
• pompous
• classy
• oratorical
• educated
• tasteful
• stilted
• genteel
• correct
• affected
• hifalutin
• Attic
• academic
• academical
• highfalutin
• learned
• bookish

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective stately differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of stately are grandiose, grand, imposing, magnificent, and majestic. While all these words mean "large and impressive," stately may suggest poised dignity, erectness of bearing, handsomeness of proportions, ceremonious deliberation of movement.

the stately procession

When can grand be used instead of stately?

Although the words grand and stately have much in common, grand adds to greatness of size the implications of handsomeness and dignity.

a grand staircase

Where would grandiose be a reasonable alternative to stately?

The synonyms grandiose and stately are sometimes interchangeable, but grandiose implies a size or scope exceeding ordinary experience, but is most commonly applied derogatorily to inflated pretension or absurd exaggeration.

grandiose hydroelectric projects

grandiose schemes

When would imposing be a good substitute for stately?

The words imposing and stately are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, imposing implies great size and dignity but especially stresses impressiveness.

an imposing edifice

When is it sensible to use magnificent instead of stately?

While in some cases nearly identical to stately, magnificent implies an impressive largeness proportionate to scale without sacrifice of dignity or good taste.

magnificent paintings

How is majestic related to other words for stately?

Majestic combines the implications of imposing and stately and usually adds a suggestion of solemn grandeur.

a majestic waterfall

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stately

As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Sep. 2025

Previously the seat of colonial government, its stately buildings now house cultural institutions. —AFAR Media, 3 Sep. 2025

East Beach has the best waves, and offers views of the stately Ocean House (and Taylor Swift’s nearby mansion) and across the water, the easternmost end of Long Island, New York. —Julie Tremaine, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

By a similar token, that stark visual language — complicated by Zhao’s stately framing and related inclination toward surveillance-like interior shots that suggest the presence of a ghost looking down — helps to disabuse the drama of any potential staginess. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2025