Seemly — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb /ˈsēm-lē/ seem·ly

Meaning & Definition of Seemly

Seemly (adjective)

  1. good-looking, handsome
  2. agreeably fashioned, attractive
  3. conventionally proper, decorous

Seemly (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. following the established traditions of refined society and good taste

    "it would not be seemly to use the memorial service as a forum for your political views"

    similar: befitting, correct, de rigueur, decent, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable
    related: acceptable, adequate, satisfactory, tolerable, dress, dressy, formal, dignified, elegant, gracious, priggish, prim, stiff, stuffy, apt, material, relevant, compatible, congenial, harmonious, allowed, authorized, kosher, permitted
    opposite: improper, inappropriate, incorrect, indecent, indecorous, indelicate, unbecoming, ungenteel, unseemly
    near: intolerable, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, casual, grungy, informal, seedy, shabby, tacky, banned, barred, disallowed, forbidden, interdicted, outlawed, prohibited, proscribed, awkward, gauche, ungraceful

  2. very pleasing to look at

    "a young man of seemly appearance, robust health, and keen intelligence"

    similar: aesthetic, attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny (chiefly British), comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, fetching, good, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, knockout, likely, lovely, lovesome, pretty, ravishing, sightly, stunning, taking, well-favored
    related: alluring, appealing, charming, cunning, delightful, engaging, fascinating, glamorous, prepossessing, elegant, exquisite, glorious, Junoesque, magnificent, resplendent, splendid, statuesque, sublime, superb, flawless, perfect, radiant, dainty, delicate, personable, pleasant, presentable, chocolate-box, prettyish, desirable, dishy, dollish, foxy, hot, luscious, nubile, pulchritudinous, seductive, sexy, toothsome, hunky, studly (slang), arresting, eye-catching, flamboyant, flashy, glossy, showstopping, showy, slick, snazzy, splashy, striking, zingy, photogenic, telegenic
    opposite: grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, plain, ugly, unaesthetic, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely, uncute, unhandsome, unlovely, unpleasing, unpretty, unsightly
    near: abhorrent, abominable, bad, disagreeable, disgusting, dreadful, foul, frightful, ghastly, horrible, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, objectionable, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, shocking, sickening, terrible, vile, unappealing, unappetizing, unimposing, unpleasant, unprepossessing, frumpish, frumpy, unbecoming, unshapely

Seemly (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in appropriately, fittingly

    similar: appropriately, aptly, congruously, correctly, decorously, felicitously, fittingly, happily, meetly, rightly, suitably, acceptably, adequately, all right, alright, creditably, decently, fine, good, middlingly, nicely, OK, passably, respectably, satisfactorily, serviceably, so-so, sufficiently, tolerably, well, gratifyingly, satisfyingly, effectively, effectually, efficiently, neatly, tidily
    opposite: bad, badly, deficiently, ill, inadequately, insufficiently, intolerably, poorly, unacceptably, unsatisfactorily, unbearably, inappropriately, incorrectly, indecently, unsuitably, awfully, deplorably, disastrously, dreadfully, horrendously, horribly, horridly, miserably, terribly

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Seemly

The most common words with a similar meaning to Seemly:

Chiefly British: bonny
befitting, correct, de rigueur, decent, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, aesthetic, attractive, beauteous, beautiful, comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, fetching, good, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, knockout, likely, lovely, lovesome, pretty, ravishing, sightly, stunning, taking, well-favored, appropriately, aptly, congruously, correctly, decorously, felicitously

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Seemly

Words with the opposite meaning of Seemly:

improper, inappropriate, incorrect, indecent, indecorous, indelicate, unbecoming, ungenteel, unseemly, grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, plain, ugly, unaesthetic, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely, uncute, unhandsome, unlovely, unpleasing, unpretty, unsightly, bad, badly, deficiently, ill, inadequately

Related Words for Seemly

acceptable, adequate, satisfactory, tolerable, dress, dressy, formal, dignified, elegant, gracious, priggish, prim, stiff, stuffy, apt, material, relevant, compatible, congenial, harmonious, allowed, authorized, kosher, permitted, alluring, appealing, charming, cunning, delightful, engaging

Near Antonyms of Seemly

intolerable, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, casual, grungy, informal, seedy, shabby, tacky, banned, barred, disallowed, forbidden, interdicted, outlawed, prohibited, proscribed, awkward, gauche, ungraceful, abhorrent, abominable, disagreeable, disgusting, dreadful, foul, frightful, ghastly, horrible, loathsome

Word Forms of Seemly

Inflections: seemlier, seemliest

Derived words: seemliness (noun), seemly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Seemly

Middle English semely, from Old Norse sœmiligr, from sœmr fitting

First known use: 13th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Seemly

What does "Seemly" mean?

"Seemly" means good-looking, handsome. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: good-looking, handsome. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Seemly"?

Other words for "Seemly" include befitting, correct, de rigueur, decent, decorous, genteel, nice and polite. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Seemly" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Seemly"?

There are 150 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Seemly". Common alternatives include befitting, correct, de rigueur, decent, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper and respectable.

What is the opposite of "Seemly"?

Antonyms of "Seemly" include improper, inappropriate, incorrect, indecent, indecorous, indelicate, unbecoming and ungenteel. Near antonyms include intolerable, unacceptable, unsatisfactory and casual.

How do you use "Seemly" in a sentence?

Examples of "Seemly" in a sentence: "it would not be seemly to use the memorial service as a forum for your political views"; "a young man of seemly appearance, robust health, and keen intelligence".

Is "Seemly" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Seemly" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Seemly"?

"Seemly" is pronounced /ˈsēm-lē/ and divided into syllables as seem·ly.

What is the origin of the word "Seemly"?

"Seemly" comes from Middle English semely, from Old Norse sœmiligr, from sœmr fitting. First known use: 13th century.