shapely

shapely — adjective

1. of a person's body, or a part of it — having an attractive shape with well-balan

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

of a person's body, or a part of it — having an attractive shape with well-balanced proportions, so that the overall appearance is pleasing to look at. Used especially of a woman's figure, but also of specific body parts such as legs, arms, or calves.

Example

The fashion photographer told Esme that she had the most shapely legs in the industry.

collocation: shapely legs

Nicholas painted a portrait of a woman with a shapely, athletic build.

collocation: shapely build

Common collocations
  • shapely legs
  • shapely figure
  • shapely arms
  • shapely calves
  • shapely curves
  • shapely silhouette
  • shapely body
Synonyms
  • well-proportioned

    neutral, semi-formal; emphasizes balance of parts without focus on curves

  • curvaceous

    informal, women-specific; emphasizes prominent curves (bust, hips, waist)

  • well-formed

    more formal or artistic; can describe individual body parts

  • nicely shaped

    informal, more general and conversational

Antonyms
  • shapeless

    lacking attractive shape or definition; opposite in meaning

  • misshapen

    having an ugly or unnatural form; implies deformity

Grammar Patterns

shapely + noun

be + shapely

Usage Note

Most commonly describes women's bodies or body parts. Less often used for men, and rarely applied to objects, buildings, or landscapes. In modern everyday conversation, it can sound somewhat dated or formal; terms like 'fit' or 'toned' are more common in casual speech.

Common Mistakes

The vase has a shapely design.
The vase has an elegant design.
'shapely' is normally used for human bodies or body parts, not objects.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Shapely, curvaceous, well-proportioned, and well-formed all describe a pleasing physical form, but differ in scope and connotation. Shapely is the most general term, focusing on overall balance and attractive shape of the body or specific parts such as legs or arms. Curvaceous is narrower — it specifically describes a woman with prominent curves (bust, hips, waist) and carries a more informal, sometimes playful tone. Well-proportioned is a neutral, semi-formal term that emphasises harmonious relations between body parts; it works for both men and women. Well-formed suggests a classical or artistic standard of beauty and can apply to individual features like hands or facial features. Example: 'The art critic admired the well-proportioned figure in the marble statue' (neutral, formal), versus 'She has a lovely curvaceous figure' (informal, woman-specific), versus 'The dancer's shapely legs drew every eye' (body-part-specific, most common usage).

shapely ↗curvaceouswell-proportionedwell-formed

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Formed from the noun 'shape' (meaning 'form, figure') plus the suffix '-ly', which creates adjectives with the meaning 'having the qualities of'. First recorded in English around the 14th century with the sense 'well-formed, having a pleasing shape'. The root word 'shape' comes from Old English 'gesceap' (form, creation), which traces back to the Proto-Germanic verb '*skapjaną' (to create).