Standard Lemma guide

shapely

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈʃeɪpli/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: SH EY1 P L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having a pleasing shape, pleasant to look at.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective

Meaning 2

having a well-proportioned and pleasing shape

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a slim waist and shapely legs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: unshapely

History

Etymology

From Middle English schaply, schappely (“well-shaped, beautiful, attractive”), perhaps from Old English *ġesċeaplīċ (“according to design, proper, fit”) (suggested by Old English ġesċeaplīċe (“properly, fitting, well”)), equivalent to shape + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حَسَن (ḥasan) — having a pleasing shape
  • Armenian: շեն (šen) — having a pleasing shape
  • Bulgarian: строен (stroen) — having a pleasing shape
  • Bulgarian: добре сложен (dobre složen) — having a pleasing shape
  • Chinese Mandarin: 凹凸有致 (āotūyǒuzhì) — having a pleasing shape
  • Chinese Mandarin: 豐滿 /丰满 (fēngmǎn) — having a pleasing shape
  • Czech: úhledný — having a pleasing shape
  • Czech: ladných tvarů — having a pleasing shape
  • Finnish: hyvinmuodostunut — having a pleasing shape
  • Finnish: sopusuhtainen — having a pleasing shape
  • Hindi: सुडौल (suḍaul) — having a pleasing shape
  • Hungarian: jóalakú — having a pleasing shape
  • Hungarian: jóformájú — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: córach — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: cruthach — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: cruthúil — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: cumaí — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: cumtha — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: dea-chruthach — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: dea-chumtha — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: dealfa — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: fíortha — having a pleasing shape
  • Irish: greanta — having a pleasing shape
  • Italian: formoso — having a pleasing shape
  • Italian: tornito — having a pleasing shape
  • Italian: prosperoso — having a pleasing shape
  • Italian: polputo — having a pleasing shape
  • Middle English: schaply — having a pleasing shape
  • Old English: hīewlīċ — having a pleasing shape
  • Polish: zgrabny — having a pleasing shape
  • Polish: kształtny — having a pleasing shape
  • Portuguese: torneado — having a pleasing shape
  • Scottish Gaelic: cumachdail — having a pleasing shape
  • Spanish: torneado — having a pleasing shape
  • Spanish: curvilíneo — having a pleasing shape
  • Spanish: exuberante — having a pleasing shape