maidenlike

7.9

Modest and gentle in appearance and behaviour like a young unmarried woman

adjective
/ˈmeɪdənˌlaɪk/

Archaic

: virginal

Her maidenlike innocence charmed everyone she met.

Examples

She looks maidenlike today.
She lowered her eyes with a maidenlike modesty.
The painting depicted a young woman with a maidenlike grace and poise.
Her maidenlike charm captivated everyone at the party.
She wore a maidenlike dress that flowed elegantly as she walked.
The artist's painting captured her maidenlike charm and innocence.
With her maidenlike demeanor, she impressed everyone at the gathering.

Synonyms

maidenly

vsmaidenlike

Archaic

1 8.8

Being modest and shy like a young woman

focuses on appearance and association with youth rather than only innocence

Antonyms

immodest

2 6.1

Not following usual rules about proper dress or behaviour

How Modest

prim

8 7.9

maidenlike

Archaic

7.9

demure

14 7.4

modest

20 3.6

reserved

3.7

Surface Forms

maidenlike positive

Morphology

maidenlike = maiden (transparent) = maiden + like

The adjective is directly formed by adding the productive suffix '-like' to 'maiden', so the meaning is readily inferable from the base.

Etymology

Maidenlike comes from maiden meaning 'young woman' and the ending -like meaning 'similar to', so something maidenlike looks or acts like a modest, shy young woman.