gradely

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English greiþli, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Norse greiðliga.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɹeɪdlɪ/

Adjective

gradely (comparative gradelier, superlative gradeliest)

1. (Northern England) of a person; decent, well-meaning, respectable
   • Gracie Fields: "My work has meant travelling the world over, to great places and small, but home to me always means Rochdale and its gradely folk."
2. excellent
   • 1881, Elizabeth Sophia Watson, Crabtree Fold: A Tale of the Lancashire Moors, page 53:

     Yo're well off to ha' Betsy Ogden comin' in; she's a gradely worker.

3. handsome, fair
   • 1863, Charles Kingsley, The Water-Babies, A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby, page 13:

     This is a hard road for a gradely foot like that. Will ye up, lass, and ride behind me?

4. real, proper

Adverb

gradely (comparative more gradely, superlative most gradely)

1. properly, really