womanishly

1 7.5

In a gentle, delicate way often seen as typical of women

adverb
/ˈwʊməˌnɪʃli/

Archaic

: femeninamente

She spoke womanishly, using a soft tone that emphasized her gentleness.

Examples

He approached the task womanishly, showing great care and attention to detail.
"Whoo," Carmel's boyfriend says later, as they are leaving, in a wavy, womanishly high-pitched voice.

Fiction book (1998)
The painting was done womanishly, with delicate brushstrokes and a gentle color palette.

Synonyms

effeminately

vswomanishly

Offensive

1 8.0

In a gentle, delicate way people often see as not masculine

focuses on delicacy or gentle behaviour rather than lack of masculinity

femininely

vswomanishly

1 4.4

In a gentle, graceful way that people link to women

often stresses delicacy or gentle manner rather than general traits

Antonyms

manfully

Archaic

2 6.8

Act bravely and steadily when facing difficulty

How Feminine

effeminately

Offensive

1 8.0

womanishly

Archaic

1 7.5

femininely

1 4.4

girlishly

1 5.8

Surface Forms

womanishly positive

Morphology

womanishly = womanish (transparent) = woman + ish + ly

Formed by adding the standard adverbial suffix '-ly' to the adjective 'womanish'; the derivation is direct and meaning is predictable.

Etymology

The word womanishly comes from woman plus the ending -ish ('like') and -ly (making it an adverb), so it literally means 'in a way like a woman'. That's why it is used for actions that seem gentle or delicate.