gingerly

1 of 2

adjective

gin·​ger·​ly ˈjin-jər-lē 

: very cautious or careful

… loose, exfoliated rock, into which he hammered pitons with the gingerly care of a carpenter finishing cabinets.

—David Roberts

His questions were gingerly and puzzled.

—John Skow

gingerliness noun

gingerly

2 of 2

adverb

: with extreme care concerning the result of a movement or action : very cautiously and carefully

These working dogs know how to use their jaws gingerly, without exerting undue pressure in handling the livestock.

—American West

Today, IVF specialists around the world routinely incubate human eggs and sperm in a laboratory dish and then gingerly transfer a fertilized egg to the mother's uterus.

—Kathy A. Fackelmann

Nick Price sat on a cheap folding chair as a group of somber journalists arrived, intending to gingerly ask him how it was that one of the world's best players had just shot an 82 in the third round of the 1998 British Open.

—Jeff Williams

Did you know?

Though more common as an adverb meaning “very cautiously and carefully,” as in “moving gingerly across the icy pond,” gingerly has for more than four centuries functioned both as an adverb and as an adjective. Etymologists take a gingerly approach to assigning any particular origins to gingerly. While it might have come from the name of the spice, there’s nothing concrete to back up that idea. Another theory is that it’s related to an Old French word, gençor, meaning “prettier” or “more beautiful,” with evidence being that in 16th century English an earlier sense of gingerly often described dancing or walking done with dainty steps. It wasn’t until the 17th century that gingerly was applied to movements done with caution in order to avoid being noisy or causing injury, and to a wary manner in handling or presenting ideas.

Synonyms

Adjective

• alert
• careful
• cautious
• chary
• circumspect
• conservative
• considerate
• guarded
• heedful
• safe
• wary

Examples of gingerly in a Sentence

Adjective

gave the cork on the bottle of champagne a gingerly twist

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Unlike the gingerly approach to easing restrictions targeting the spread of the virus, the country is split over reopening businesses and schools. —Kendall Karson, ABC News, 7 Mar. 2021

All the while, amid the unpacking of groceries and food prep and reminiscing, the group addresses in gingerly fashion the subject of Rose’s cancer. —Alexandra Enders, The New York Review of Books, 26 May 2020

Adverb

The team then gingerly extracted it without shattering the bones. —Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Oct. 2024

Freeman did take live at-bats in the scrimmage but appeared to still be walking gingerly. —Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

perhaps from ginger entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1611, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1596, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

gingerly

adverb

gin·​ger·​ly ˈjin-jər-lē 

: very carefully