sagely

American  

[seyj-lee] / ˈseɪdʒ li /

adverb

1. with a knowing or thoughtful expression; in a way that suggests careful reflection.

   By way of response, my father only puffed on his pipe and nodded sagely.

2. in a wise or judicious way; insightfully.

   As someone has sagely pointed out, today's idiot will be tomorrow's beacon of truth.

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adjective

1. Rare. wise or judicious; insightful.

   A lot of people think that, like a sagely seaman who acquires wisdom and whiskers as his years trickle away on the sea, all traditions gain value as they age.

Etymology

Origin of sagely

sage ¹ + -ly

Example Sentences

You might roll your eyes at the quasi-hippie assertion, but 100 pages later, you will nod your head sagely in agreement.

From Salon

Murakami gestures to the walls before him, nodding his head sagely.

From Los Angeles Times

At one point, Mr. Loomis quotes his protagonist sagely predicting, “we’ll have a depression . . . and it will be the end of an era.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“It is for howling, though,” said Beowulf sagely.

From Literature

Netflix sagely announced that “The Sandman” would end after Season 2.

From Salon

Related Words

• carefully
• intelligently
• judiciously
• sensibly
• shrewdly