gainly

[ geyn-lee ]

adjective
  1. graceful; comely; handsome.

Origin of gainly

1
First recorded in 1850–55; probably back formation from ungainly

Other words from gainly

  • gain·li·ness, noun

Words Nearby gainly

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

How to use gainly in a sentence

  • He wanted quite desperately to love something staid and feminine and gainly and well bred, whatever its age!

    The Martian | George Du Maurier
  • Jewel of beauty surpassing, passing before me,gainly of gait as olifant-king.

    Vidyapati Bangiya Padabali | Vidyapati Thakura

British Dictionary definitions for gainly

gainly

/ (ˈɡeɪnlɪ) obsolete, or dialect /


adjective
  1. graceful or well-formed; shapely

adverb
  1. conveniently or suitably

Derived forms of gainly

  • gainliness, 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