Big-sisterly

adj, adv

adj, adv ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 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."

Adverb
  1. 1
    In the manner of an older sister.

    "By turns she could be goofy and serious, playful and big-sisterly stern."

Example

More examples

"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."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From big sister + -ly (adjectival suffix).

Etymology 2

From big sister + -ly (adverbial suffix).

More for "big-sisterly"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.