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Glite Dictionary
daintily

daintily

3 4.2
To move or act in a small, careful, delicate way
  • adverb
  • /ˈdeɪntɪli/
translation icon : delicadamente
  • The guest room was small and daintily decorated, with ruffles and fluted lampshades, handmade quilts, and woven rugs.
  • stepped daintily
  • sipped daintily
  • ate daintily

Just pretty right over the lids, very daintily.

Examples

  • Tina takes out a compact and daintily blots the moisture from her face.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Emma picked her way through the throng as daintily as she could, and with a practiced eye sought out the conductor.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • At that moment, Jimmy Braden came out of the kitchen, daintily ringing a small silver bell.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Finally, he placed it daintily on the kitchen counter and regarded it with morose respect.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Glenda crossed her legs daintily at the ankle.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Muffy trotted daintily away from his foot.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Powl stepped daintily onto a deer track that crossed the road very near where we had stopped.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Carl finished chewing and daintily wiped his mouth.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Daintily, she lifted her hem above her ankles and extended one foot into the sunlight.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • She daintily arranged the flowers in a vase, making sure each stem was perfectly positioned.

Synonyms

beautifully
vsdaintily
233 1.0

In a way that looks or sounds very nice

emphasizes delicate refinement and small graceful manner rather than broad beauty
gracefully
vsdaintily
56 2.8

In a smooth and beautiful way that looks controlled

adds a finer sense of delicate refinement rather than broad smoothness
delicately
vsdaintily
44 3.7

Gently and carefully to avoid hurting people or breaking things

is more about graceful refinement than simple carefulness
finely
vsdaintily
30 2.4

In an elegant, precise way that shows small details

focuses more on delicate grace than on technical precision
elegantly
vsdaintily
22 3.9

In a graceful and stylish way

leans more toward light delicate refinement than fashion or style
exquisitely
vsdaintily
18 6.1

In a very careful and beautiful way

keeps the same refinement but is less intense in degree
genteelly
vsdaintily
  • Archaic
1 7.2

In a polite and elegant way

is more about small graceful style than about polite social behavior
mincingly
vsdaintily
9.3

Moves or speaks in a small, careful way that does not look natural

is similar but without the affected or showy quality

Antonyms

awkwardly
38 2.7

In a clumsy or uncomfortable way, often showing nervousness around other people

clumsily
12 2.8

In an awkward way that shows little skill or control

How Delicate

daintily
3 4.2
gracefully
56 2.8
gently
372 1.0
coarsely
10 4.2
roughly
36 1.4

Surface Forms

daintily positive

Morphology

daintily = dainty (transparent) = dainty + ly

Standard adverbial formation from the adjective 'dainty' using the productive suffix '-ly', so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Daintily comes from the word dainty, which once meant a small, pleasing treat or something that gives 'delight'. So imagine someone handling a tiny, lovely snack with careful, gentle movements — that's why daintily means doing something in a delicate, graceful way.