gingerly
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gingerly
- /ˈdʒɪn(d)ʒəli/ UK
- /ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚli/ US
Where it comes from
The second element is -ly; the first element may be Anglo-Norman gençur or Old French gençor, gensor, comparative forms (also attested as positives) of gent (“beautiful, noble, pleasant, courteous”). The Oxford English Dictionary notes, however, that there is a gap of a few centuries between the last appearance of gençor, etc., and the first appearance of gingerly.
The adjective is derived from the adverb, possibly because -ly is also a suffix forming adjectives.
adverb more gingerly · most gingerly
-
In a cautious and delicate manner; (very) carefully or cautiously.
He placed the glass jar gingerly on the concrete step.
Similar: ginger, tentatively, warily
- Chiefly of dancing or walking: done with small, dainty steps; daintily; also, with excessive delicacy; affectedly, mincingly. Oh! ſhe lookes ſo ſugredly, ſo ſimpringly, ſo gingerly, ſo amarouſly, ſo amiably. […] [She] is ſuch an intycing ſhee-vvitch, carrying the charmes of your Ievvels about her. Oh!
adjective more gingerly · gingerlier · most gingerly · gingerliest
- Often of movements: very careful, cautious, or delicate. We can honestly commend the Atlantic Monthly as the most able and spirited of American periodicals, at the present time, and we like it, moreover, because it dares have opinions and to express them in unmistakable terms, on subjects which when referred to at all, by most of the current magazines, ar
- Often of a person or the way they move: dainty, delicate; also, excessively delicate; affected, mincing. All yᵉ rest of my trimmest, tricksiest, gingerliest ioyes, / But very tædious and most odious toyes?
Translations
Every language
adv in a cautious and delicate manner — see also carefully, cautiously
| Español | cautelosamente, cuidadosamente, delicadamente |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 小心翼翼 xiǎoxīnyìyì |
| Português | cautelosamente, cuidadosamente |
| Français | doucement, précautionneusement |
| Deutsch | behutsam, sanft, vorsichtig, zimperlich |
| Italiano | cautamente |
| Română | cu băgare de seamă, cu precauție |
| Русский | бе́режно bérežno, не́жно néžno, осторо́жно ostoróžno |
Talk about this word "gingerly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gingerly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gingerly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gingerly "gingerly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gingerly.Cite this
@misc{gingerly_2026,
title = {gingerly},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gingerly},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
