Link Centre Dictionary

manly

UK/ˈmænli/ US/ˈmænli/ fairly common

adjective

1.

possessing qualities befitting a man

Antonyms
2.

characteristic of a man

  • “a deep male voice”
  • “manly sports”

adverb

1.

in a manful manner; with qualities thought to befit a man

  • “having said her say Peggy manfully shouldered her burden and prepared to break up yet another home”
Synonyms
Antonyms

Origin

From Middle English manli, manlich, manly, from Old English *manlīċ (suggested by adverb manlīċe (“in a way befitting a person; nobly, stately”)), from Proto-West Germanic *mannlīk, from Proto-Germanic *mannlīkaz, equivalent to man + -ly (adjectival suffix). Cognate with Old High German manlīh (“manly”) (whence German männlich), Dutch mannelijk, Old Norse mannligr (“human”) (Danish mandlig, Swedish manlig).

Phrases

  • manly needs

Related words

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.