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

At Fort Myer, adjacent to the cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington, the caisson detachment had been performing the solemn, stately ceremony since 1948. —Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025

Eventually, the army retook Paris, and the stately buildings were reconstructed. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025

Housed in a stately historic building, the hotel’s architectural bones are complemented by fresh and energetic interiors. —Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

The ornate, stately building echoes with women’s history, even as its current leaders infuse it with future purpose. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2025