Meanings
seely1
adjectiveseely (comparative seelier, superlative seeliest)
comparative seelier · superlative seeliest
- alternativeobsoleteAlternative form of sely or silly.
Whereas the poore, the baniſhed, and ſeely ſervants, live often as careleſly and as pleaſantly as the others.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, “Of feare”, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC, page 281 more example
The seely blind beggar of Bednall-greene / That daylye sits begging for charitie / ... A seely olde man, God knoweth, is hee ...
1765, Thomas Percy, “The Beggar's Daughter of Bednall-Greene”, in Reliques of Ancient English Poetry
Seely2
Origin
Spelling variant of Seely.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
seely. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seely
MLA
“seely.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seely. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “seely,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/seely.
Source: seely on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.