bride-likeadv.adj.
/ˈbrʌɪdlʌɪk/, U.S. /ˈbraɪdˌlaɪk/ A. adv.
In a manner characteristic of or befitting a bride.
ΚΠ
1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales xi. ix. 151 Shee should..attire herselfe bride-like, sacrifice vnto the gods.
1774 All's Right at Last I. xxvii. 223 She had received the invitation in the morning; but, bride-like, was so much taken up with her fond monkey of a husband, as to forget it.
1860 R. D. Owen Footfalls on Boundary of Another World iv. ii. 322 As he made no reply, she went up to him, and, bride-like, was about to put her arms round his neck, when, to her horror, the figure was gone and the chair empty.
1960 Southwest Rev. 45 10/1 She went on waiting, bridelike, in her chair, and never had a single notion of birth or death or scandal.
2015 B. Zander Predictions i. 10 He carried her, bridelike, across the mud and settled her gently down on a patch of grass.
B. adj.
Characteristic of or befitting a bride; resembling a bride.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > wedding or nuptials > people connected with wedding > [adjective] > of or relating to or like a bride
bride-like1624
bridal1747
bridal-like1832
1624 Trag. Nero iv. sig. Fv Was not the boy in bride-like garments drest.
1821 New Monthly Mag. 3 332/1 Miss Dance was very radiant, and sparkling, and bride-like in the early scenes.
1868 E. A. Allen Poems 96 The fair white lilies, the bride-like lilies, Unbosom their rich perfume.
1909 Farm Jrnl. Oct. 451/2 I'm so refreshed, and in the best humor,—almost bride-like.
1947 Sewanee Rev. 55 18 The bride in her bridelike travelling dress, surrounded by her maids, stood between her parents.
2015 Alive (India) (Nexis) 8 Oct. Devotees are simply spellbound by her bride-like appearance.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adv.adj.1598