stately
Americanadjective
-
majestic; imposing in magnificence, elegance, etc..
a stately home.
adverb
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
- stateliness noun
Etymology
Origin of stately
First recorded in 1350–1400, stately is from the Middle English word statly. See state, -ly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A moment later, both vehicles drove off at a stately pace, as if nothing had happened.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
Someone dies, and then their friends and family, appropriately dressed in black, gather in a stately room while an elderly lawyer reads a list of who gets what.
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
From there she strikes out into the countryside in a suitably stately carriage.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
By 8 a.m., more than a hundred people waited outside the stately South Carolina Supreme Court building to hear oral arguments on Murdaugh’s request for a new trial.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
Deeper and deeper into the ancient woods I went, past thick bracken and stately oaks, until I tripped and fell again.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
