Adjacent Words

Demure definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DEMURE, a. Sober; grave; modest; downcast; as a demure countenance; a demure abasing of the eye.
DEMURE, v.i. To look with a grave countenance.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative way [syn: coy, demure, overmodest]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English Date: 14th century 1. reserved, modest 2. affectedly modest, reserved, or serious ; coy • demurely adverb • demureness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. (demurer, demurest) 1 composed, quiet, and reserved; modest. 2 affectedly shy and quiet; coy. 3 decorous (a demure high collar). Derivatives: demurely adv. demureness n. Etymology: ME, perh. f. AF demuré f. OF demoré past part. of demorer remain, stay (as DEMUR): infl. by OF meür f. L maturus ripe

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Demure De*mure", a. [Perh. from OF. de murs (i. e., de bonnes murs of good manners); de of + murs, mours, meurs, mors, F. m?urs, fr. L. mores (sing. mos) manners, morals (see Moral); or more prob. fr. OF. me["u]r, F. m[^u]r mature, ripe (see Mature) in a phrase preceded by de, as de m[^u]re conduite of mature conduct.] 1. Of sober or serious mien; composed and decorous in bearing; of modest look; staid; grave. Sober, steadfast, and demure. --Milton. Nan was very much delighted in her demure way, and that delight showed itself in her face and in her clear bright eyes. --W. Black. 2. Affectedly modest, decorous, or serious; making a show of gravity. A cat lay, and looked so demure, as if there had been neither life nor soul in her. --L'Estrange. Miss Lizzy, I have no doubt, would be as demure and coquettish, as if ten winters more had gone over her head. --Miss Mitford.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Demure De*mure", v. i. To look demurely. [Obs.] --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. If you describe someone, usually a young woman, as demure, you mean they are quiet and rather shy, usually in a way that you like and find appealing, and behave very correctly. She's very demure and sweet... ADJ [approval] • demurely She smiled demurely. ADV: usu ADV with v 2. Demure clothes do not reveal your body and they give the impression that you are shy and behave correctly. (WRITTEN) ...a demure high-necked white blouse. ADJ: usu ADJ n • demurely She was demurely dressed in a black woollen suit. ADV: ADV -ed, ADV after v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Affectedly modest, prudish, overmodest, putting on shyness or coyness. 2. Sober, sedate, grave, modest, coy, downcast.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

As demure as an old whore at a christening.

Moby Thesaurus

Quakerish, Victorian, backward, bashful, censorious, close, confused, conscious, coy, decent, decorous, diffident, earnest, formal, frowning, grave, grim, grim-faced, grim-visaged, hidebound, inarticulate, long-faced, mid-Victorian, modest, mousy, narrow, nice, old-maidish, overmodest, priggish, prim, proper, prudish, puritanical, reserved, reticent, retiring, sanctimonious, sedate, seemly, self-conscious, serious, shamefaced, shamefast, shy, silent, skittish, smug, sober, sober-minded, sobersided, solemn, somber, staid, stammering, stiff-necked, stone-faced, straight-faced, straitlaced, stuffy, thoughtful, timid, timorous, unassertive, unassured, unsmiling, weighty