godly
godly Lexical Profile
godly Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Devoutly religious, pious, and earnestly obedient to the laws or will of God.
"The community respected the elderly minister for leading a humble and godly life."
Coming from, belonging to, or characteristic of a deity; divine.
"Ancient myths often depicted heroes who possessed godly strength and wisdom."
• adverb
In a pious, devout, or righteous manner (now archaic or liturgical).
"The scripture exhorts believers to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world."
Word Nuance & Usage
Although ending in '-ly', 'godly' functions primarily as an adjective rather than an adverb in modern English; its adverbial use is largely archaic or restricted to biblical prose.
• Rhymes for godly
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'godli', formed from Old English 'god' (deity) and the suffix '-ly' (from Old English '-lic', meaning 'having the appearance or qualities of'), with a direct cognate in Old Norse 'guðligr'.