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stately

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Dignified, grand, and majestic in appearance or movement; describes monarchs, formal processions, or grand architecture in verse.

Detailed Definition
Stately is a literary adjective suggesting majesty, dignity, or formal grandeur. Here it gives the trees a noble, almost ceremonial presence.
Example
Example in poetry:
“With all its nests and stately trees” makes stately mean dignified, grand, and impressive in bearing; Milton’s “stately” architecture often conveys ceremonial magnificence; “The stately cranes along the marsh moved slowly” extends grandeur to animals; A poet may use stately rhythm, long vowels, and measured syntax to reinforce the adjective’s sense
Additional Notes
Although understandable from context, "stately" is used in a more elevated literary sense here and may prompt readers to pause.; Found in the poem, Shut Out by Christina Rossetti
Other Meanings of “stately”
Also Known As
majestic dignified grand noble
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