Literary notes about shapely (AI summary)
Writers employ "shapely" as a versatile descriptor that not only conveys physical grace but also hints at an idealized, almost sculptural quality in both animate and inanimate forms. It is used to celebrate balanced proportions and refined aesthetics—from the delicate lines of a face and hands [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] to the smooth, well-formed contours of natural elements and architectural structures [6, 7, 8, 9]. In some passages, the term accentuates voluptuous beauty and strength, whether portraying a creature’s powerful grip [10] or a figure whose form inspires affection and admiration [11, 12]. Even when applied to less human subjects—like the graceful flight of fish or the elegant design of columns—the word "shapely" imbues the description with an air of timeless harmony and precision [13, 8]. This careful choice of language enriches the imagery by juxtaposing both sensual and classical qualities, aligning the physical with the ideal.
- Nevertheless he was good-looking, with his shapely brows and nose, and his great, hanging moustache.
— from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence - Her face was shapely, intelligent and comely—even beautiful.
— from The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain - I shall never forget it,” smiled Anne, touching the heavy braid of hair that was wound about her shapely head.
— from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - His hands, delicate and shapely, rest on a pile of books and are shaded by lace ruffles.
— from Winged Wheels in France by Michael Myers Shoemaker - She held up her hands, strong, shapely hands, and surveyed them critically, drawing up her fawn sleeves above the wrists.
— from The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin - Flocks of flying fish-slim, shapely, graceful, and intensely white.
— from Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World by Mark Twain - The block thus brought into shapely form is
— from Toronto of Old by Henry Scadding - The six columns are their bases, Corinthian capitals and entablature—and six more shapely columns do not exist.
— from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain - Then, through the open doorway, there appeared the shapely, graceful bow of a canoe.
— from The Rival Campers Ashore; or, The Mystery of the Mill by Ruel Perley Smith - Body nor hands had he none shapely, but with his paws he held me in the throat, and would have strangled me, but he might not.
— from Revelations of Divine Love - Mariuccia was tall and shapely, a perfect picture, as fair as a white rose, and calculated to inspire voluptuous desires.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova - With the exception of Maria Clara, no one had taken any notice of him, but now all admired his shapely figure.
— from The Social Cancer: A Complete English Version of Noli Me Tangere by José Rizal - They were shapely and beautiful goblets, but they were not made of any material that we were acquainted with.
— from The Mysterious Stranger, and Other Stories by Mark Twain
