adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Pertaining to the substance of a work, separate from what is conveyed; material, substantive.

   "All works have this thingly character."

2. 2
   Actual; real; substantial.

Example

More examples

"All works have this thingly character."

Etymology

From Middle English thingli, þingly; equivalent to thing + -ly. For sense development, compare Latin reālis.

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