adverb

daintily

daintily, delicately, gracefully

The ballerina moved daintily across the stage.

The ballerina moved daintily across the stage.

She daintily picked up the tiny teacup.

She daintily picked up the tiny teacup.

((verb + ~)) in a delicate and graceful way. The ballerina moved daintily across the stage.

Synonyms: delicately, gracefully, elegantly; Antonyms: clumsily, awkwardly

From the adjective 'dainty' + the adverb-forming suffix '-ly'. 'Dainty' comes from Old French 'deintie' meaning 'pleasure, delight'.

Imagine a tiny dancer ('dainty') moving delicately. The '-ly' tells you it describes *how* they move.

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