[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/ladylike.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / ladylike

[← L](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/L/)

# ladylike

«ladylike» in Mova's school dictionary: **Ladylike describes behaviour that people used to think…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective

### meaning for a pupil

1) Ladylike describes behaviour that people used to think was polite, quiet and proper for a woman or girl, such as sitting neatly and speaking softly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/ladylike/#m1)

2) (often old-fashioned or critical) Saying something is "not ladylike" was used to stop girls running, shouting or getting dirty. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/ladylike/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

Met in older stories and in lessons on fairness and gender. It tells the reader what some people expected of girls; modern lessons point out these rules were unfair, and that good manners are for everyone. Phrases: «not very ladylike», «ladylike behaviour», «sit in a ladylike way».

### examples

- Great-Aunt Edith said climbing trees wasn't ladylike. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/ladylike/#x1)
- She gave a very unladylike burp and laughed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/ladylike/#x2)
- The girls in the old book were taught to be ladylike. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/ladylike/#x3)
- Maddie didn't care about being ladylike; she wanted to win. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/ladylike/#x4)
- Her grandmother had ladylike manners and a soft voice. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/ladylike/#x5)
- "That's not ladylike!" "Neither is it gentlemanly – it's just rude!" [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/ladylike/#x6)

### note

Adjective, not an adverb, even though it ends in -like. Opposite: unladylike. The male word is gentlemanly. Trap: «ladylike» is often a judgement about girls; kindness and good manners matter the same for boys and girls.

### In the corpora

- [Her mum used to say «be ladylike» when Lily ran in the playground, until Lily asked what «ladylike» means.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/386-lily-the-calm-princess/16/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «ladylike» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/ladylike/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.