Stately
adjective /ˈsteɪt.li/ — Dignified, imposing, and slow in movement
Definition
Dignified and imposing — having a measured, unhurried quality that suggests both importance and self-possession. The pace and bearing of something that knows it need not hurry.
Beyond the definition
Dignity as pace. Stately is the quality of things that move slowly enough to be properly seen — that refuse to be hurried by the merely urgent.
Origin & history
From 'state' (dignity, pomp) + '-ly'. 'State' here comes from Latin 'status' (standing, position) — the standing of a person or institution significant enough to be noticed.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The procession moved at a stately pace that acknowledged the occasion without performing it.
The stately home had the particular quality of houses that have seen many generations of the same family.
A stately manner is not slowness — it is the pace of someone for whom there is no urgency, because everything is already as it should be.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Stately” when the meaning fits your context: Dignified and imposing — having a measured, unhurried quality that suggests both importance and self-possession. The pace and bearing of something that knows it need not hurry.
Synonyms
Antonyms
hurried, undignified, flustered
Related words
Questions about this word
What does "Stately" mean?
Stately is adjective meaning: Dignified, imposing, and slow in movement. Dignified and imposing — having a measured, unhurried quality that suggests both importance and self-possession. The pace and bearing of something that knows it need not hurry.
Where does the word "Stately" come from?
From 'state' (dignity, pomp) + '-ly'. 'State' here comes from Latin 'status' (standing, position) — the standing of a person or institution significant enough to be noticed.