Definition

Adjective: 1. Exhibiting the qualities of an ideal knight: This describes behavior that is courteous, honorable, brave, and especially attentive and respectful towards women, in the manner of a medieval knight. 2. Relating to or characteristic of knights, chivalry, or the Middle Ages: This describes things belonging to or typical of the historical period of knighthood and its associated customs, values, and style.

Examples

• Adjective (Ideal qualities):
  • His knightly conduct won him great admiration at the court.
  • She was charmed by his knightly manners and old-fashioned courtesy.
• Adjective (Historical period):
  • The museum displayed a collection of knightly armor and weaponry.
  • Tales of knightly adventures and quests are common in medieval literature.

Advanced Usage

• "in knightly fashion": In a manner befitting a knight; with chivalry and honor.
  • He defended her honor in knightly fashion.

Variants and Related Words

• Knight (n): A man awarded a non-hereditary title of honor for service, or historically, a mounted soldier serving a lord.
• Chivalrous (adj): (A close synonym for the first meaning) Having the qualities of gallantry and courtesy associated with knighthood.
• Chivalric (adj): (A close synonym for the second meaning) Relating to or characteristic of the age of chivalry.

Synonyms

• Chivalrous: Courteous and gallant, especially towards women.
• Gallant: Brave, heroic, and courteous.
• Courteous: Polite, respectful, and considerate.
• Heraldic: Relating to coats of arms and family lineages, often associated with knights.

Antonyms

• Discourteous: Rude and showing bad manners.
• Cowardly: Lacking courage.
• Ungentlemanly: Not behaving with the courtesy expected of a gentleman (or knight).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• A knight in shining armor: A person, typically a man, who comes to the rescue of someone in trouble, embodying the idealized knightly virtues.
  • She felt he was her knight in shining armor when he helped her fix her car.

Adjective

1. being attentive to women like an ideal knight
2. characteristic of the time of chivalry and knighthood in the Middle Ages
   • chivalric rites
   • the knightly years