auntly

English

Etymology

From aunt +‎ -ly.

Adjective

auntly (comparative auntlier or more auntly, superlative auntliest or most auntly)

1. Of, like, or characteristic of an aunt.
   • 1928, Nella Larsen, “13”, in Quicksand, page 159:

     It was late, very late, when finally she climbed into the great bed after having received an auntly kiss.

   • 2001, Mary Evans, Feminism:

     The legacy Martineau offers to Eliot is auntly in the terms of my definition, because it is simultaneously gratuitous and enabling.

   • 2012, Josh Ritter, Bright's Passage:

     He watched the auntly lady twist the ends of the diaper so that the whole assemblage seemed to wrap itself around his boy like magic.

Derived terms

• auntliness
• un-auntly

Adverb

auntly (comparative auntlier or more auntly, superlative auntliest or most auntly)

1. In the manner of an aunt. (Can we add an example for this sense?)