How do you pronounce seemly?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsiːmli/.

Where does seemly come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

/ˈsiːmli/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.04 in modern English

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

adj

adv

"His behavior was seemly, as befits a gentleman."
"Suspense of judgment and exercise of charity were safer and seemlier for Christian men than the hot pursuit of these controversies."
"I am a woman, lacking wit / To make a seemly answer to such persons."
"[…] every six months she strapped on her sword and armor, and rode off in a confusion of gleaming strangers. […] When Mama came home the strangers came with her, and so did more money than was really seemly."
"The great earthes wombe they open to the sky, / And with sad Cypresse seemely it embraue [...]."

From Middle English semly, semely, semelich, from Old Norse sœmiligr (“seemly”); equivalent to seem + -ly. Cognate with Icelandic sæmilegur (“seemly, passable”), Danish sømmelig (“seemly”).

seemlier (comparative) seemliest (superlative) more seemly (comparative) most seemly (superlative)

seemlihead seemlihood seemlily seemliness seemlyhood

unseemly