English Dictionary

DAINTILY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does daintily mean? 

DAINTILY (adverb)
  The adverb DAINTILY has 2 senses:

1. in a dainty and fastidious mannerplay

2. in a delicate mannerplay

  Familiarity information: DAINTILY used as an adverb is rare.


 Dictionary entry details 


DAINTILY (adverb)


Sense 1

Meaning:

In a dainty and fastidious manner

Context example:

she nibbled daintily at her cake

Pertainym:

dainty (excessively fastidious and easily disgusted)


Sense 2

Meaning:

In a delicate manner

Context example:

the invitation cards were written up daintily in white and gold

Pertainym:

dainty (delicately beautiful)


 Context examples 


It was of a tall and slender girl, with the rosiest cheeks and the tenderest eyes—so daintily dressed, too, that I had never seen anything more perfect.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

His shoes were of red leather, daintily pointed at the toes, but not yet prolonged to the extravagant lengths which the succeeding reign was to bring into fashion.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Meg sat upon her cushion, sewing daintily with her white hands, and looking as fresh and sweet as a rose in her pink dress among the green.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

It was furnished partly as a sitting and partly as a bedroom, with flowers arranged daintily in every nook and corner.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It came to pass that the master one day said to her: “Gretel, there is a guest coming this evening; prepare me two fowls very daintily.” “I will see to it, master,” answered Gretel.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

We sprang to our feet with a gasp of astonishment as Challenger, in a round, boyish straw-hat with a colored ribbon—Challenger, with his hands in his jacket-pockets and his canvas shoes daintily pointing as he walked—appeared in the open space before us.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Have a good time, dearies!" said Mrs. March, as the sisters went daintily down the walk.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Most daintily so.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This one swung himself off the box-seat with the alacrity of a man who has no doubts about the upshot of the quarrel, and after hanging his caped coat upon the swingle-bar, he daintily turned up the ruffled cuffs of his white cambric shirt.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There was brother Bartholomew with a crucifix of rare carved ivory, and brother Luke with a white-backed psalter adorned with golden bees, and brother Francis with the Slaying of the Innocents most daintily set forth upon vellum.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)



 Learn English with... Proverbs 
"It's a good horse that never stumbles." (English proverb)

"You must first walk around a bit before you can understand the distance from the valley to the mountain." (Bhutanese proverb)

"Blood can never turn into water." (Arabic proverb)

"One bird in your hand is better than ten on the roof." (Danish proverb)



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