I. adjective
( often -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English wommanlich, from womman woman + -lich -ly, adjective suffix
1. : marked by qualities characteristic of a woman ; especially : marked by qualities becoming a well-balanced adult woman
womanly manners
womanly advice
2. : possessed of the character or behavior befitting a grown woman : no longer childish or girlish : becoming to a grown woman
little girl … wearing a womanly sort of bonnet much too large for her — Charles Dickens
3. : characteristic of, belonging to, or suitable to women : conforming to or motivated by a woman's nature and attitudes rather than a man's
convinced that drawing was a waste of time, if not downright womanly , like painting on China — Kenneth Roberts
her usual womanly volubility — Anthony Trollope
Synonyms: see female
II. adverb
Etymology: Middle English wommanliche, from womman woman + -liche -ly, adverb suffix
: in a womanly or distinctively feminine manner