Dictionary

big-sisterly en · ADJ · etymology 1

Etymology

From big sister + -ly (adjectival suffix).

Meanings

1. Of or characteristic of older sisters.
   • Some were sweet and big-sisterly, good shoulders to cry on; others eternal cheerleaders, all freckles and bobby sox; still others were serious campus leaders with their blond hair in a severe twist. 1988, Edmund White, chapter 4, in The Beautiful Room is Empty, New York: Vintage International, published 1994:
   • Coordinate term: big-brotherly

Forms

Deriveds

big-sisterliness

big-sisterly en · ADV · etymology 2

Etymology

From big sister + -ly (adverbial suffix).

Meanings

1. In the manner of an older sister.
   • By turns she could be goofy and serious, playful and big-sisterly stern. 2015, Guy Vanderhaeghe, “Koenig & Company”, in Daddy Lenin and Other Stories, McClelland & Stewart:

Forms