Nearby Words
Synonyms

womanliness

[woom-uhn-lee]

wom·an·ly

[woom-uhn-lee]
adjective
1.
like or befitting a woman; feminine; not masculine or girlish.
adverb
2.
in the manner of, or befitting, a woman.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Womanliness is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English wommanli(che). See woman, -ly

wom·an·li·ness, wom·an·ness, noun
half-wom·an·ly, adjective
un·wom·an·ly, adjective, adverb

effeminate, effete, feminine, womanish, womanly (see synonym note at the current entry).


2. Womanly, womanlike, womanish mean having the traits or qualities that a culture regards as especially characteristic of or ideally appropriate to adult women. Womanly is usually a term of approval, suggesting the display of traits admired by the society, such as self-possession, modesty, motherliness, and calm competence: a womanly consideration for others; with womanly skill and efficiency. Womanlike may be a neutral synonym for womanly, or it may suggest mild disapproval: a womanlike dignity; womanlike tears and recriminations. Womanish is usually disparaging; applied to women it suggests traits not generally socially approved: a womanish petulance; womanish disregard for the rules. Applied to men it suggests traits culturally deemed inappropriate for men and (in what is now often regarded as a sexist notion) to be found in women: a womanish shrillness in his speech; a womanish way of stamping his foot in anger. See also female.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To womanliness
Collins
World English Dictionary
womanly (ˈwʊmənlɪ)
 
adj
1.  possessing qualities, such as warmth, attractiveness, etc, generally regarded as typical of a woman, esp a mature woman
2.  characteristic of or belonging to a woman
 
'womanliness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature