seemly

[ seem-lee ]
See synonyms for: seemlyseemliness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,seem·li·er, seem·li·est.
  1. fitting or becoming with respect to propriety or good taste; decent; decorous: Your outburst of rage was hardly seemly.

  2. suitable or appropriate; fitting: a seemly gesture.

  1. of pleasing appearance; handsome.

adverb
  1. in a seemly manner; fittingly; becomingly.

Origin of seemly

1
1175–1225; Middle English semely<Old Norse sæmiligr honorable; derivative of sœmr (see seem)

Other words for seemly

Other words from seemly

  • seem·li·ness, noun

Words Nearby seemly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use seemly in a sentence

  • But when she reached the courtyard she was surprised to find they had not paused, as surely would have been seemly.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • The thick white hair was arranged in seemly order, and his hands lay upon the coverlet as if he had finished something.

    Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange Kielland
  • She had only put a little powder on her hair and drawn its curling richness into a seemly knot.

    Country Neighbors | Alice Brown
  • Thou hast already made of thyself a more seemly looking maid; still better things may come ere long.

    Maid Sally | Harriet A. Cheever
  • But this particular difference of view was a delicate matter, not seemly for a daughter to mention.

    The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins

British Dictionary definitions for seemly

seemly

/ (ˈsiːmlɪ) /


adjective-lier or -liest
  1. proper or fitting

  2. obsolete pleasing or handsome in appearance

adverb
  1. archaic properly or decorously

Origin of seemly

1
C13: from Old Norse sœomiligr, from sœmr befitting

Derived forms of seemly

  • seemliness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012