Definition
Having an attractive, well-proportioned form or figure, especially used to describe a person's body.
Etymology
From Old English 'sceapan' meaning 'to shape,' plus the suffix '-ly' meaning 'having the quality of.' So 'shapely' literally means 'having good shape.'
Kelly Says
The word 'shapely' is interesting because it's one of the few appearance words that's almost always complimentary—you never hear 'shapeless' used as a compliment, showing how positive shape is baked into the language.
Translations
AFAfrikaans
welgevorm
wel-ge-vorm
AMአማርኛ
የሚያምር ቅርጽ
ye-mi-yamr k'irts
ARالعربية
متناسق
mu-ta-na-siq
BGБългарски
добре оформен
dob-re o-for-men
CACatalà
ben format
ben for-mat
CSČeština
pěkně tvarovaný
pyek-nye tva-ro-va-nee
DADansk
velformet
vel-for-met
DEDeutsch
wohlgeformt
VOL-ge-formt
ELΕλληνικά
καλοσχηματισμένος
ka-lo-skhee-ma-tiz-ME-nos
ESEspañol
bien formado
byen for-MA-do
ETEesti
kujukas
ku-yu-kas
EUEuskara
forma oneko
for-ma o-ne-ko
FAفارسی
خوشاندام
khosh-an-dam
FISuomi
muodokas
muo-do-kas
FRFrançais
bien fait
byen fe
GLGalego
ben proporcionado
ben pro-por-sio-NA-do
HRHrvatski
dobro oblikovan
dob-ro ob-li-ko-van
HUMagyar
jól formált
yol for-malt
IDBahasa Indonesia
berbentuk indah
ber-ben-tuk in-dah
ITItaliano
ben proporzionato
ben pro-por-zio-NA-to
JA日本語
形の良い
katachi no yoi
KO한국어
균형 잡힌
gyun-hyeong jap-hin
LTLietuvių
gražios formos
gra-zhi-os for-mos
LVLatviešu
veidīgs
vei-deegs
MNМонгол
сайхан хэлбэртэй
sai-khan khel-ber-tei
MSBahasa Melayu
berbentuk cantik
ber-ben-tuk can-tik
MYမြန်မာ
ပုံသဏ္ဌာန်လှ
pon-tha-dan-hla
NLNederlands
welgevormd
wel-ge-vormd
NONorsk
velformet
vel-for-met
PLPolski
kształtny
kshtawt-ny
PTPortuguês
bem proporcionado
bem pro-por-sio-NA-do
RORomână
bine făcut
bi-ne fa-kut
RUРусский
стройный
stroyn-y
SKSlovenčina
pekný tvarovaný
pek-nee tva-ro-va-nee
SLSlovenščina
lepo oblikovan
le-po ob-li-ko-van
SRСрпски
добро обликован
dob-ro ob-li-ko-van
SVSvenska
välformad
vel-for-mad
SWKiswahili
na umbo nzuri
na um-bo nzu-ri
TAதமிழ்
அழகான வடிவம்
a-zha-kaan va-di-vam
TEతెలుగు
ఆకర్షణీయమైన ఆకారం
aa-kar-sha-nee-ya-mai-na aa-kaa-ram
THไทย
รูปทรงสวย
ruup-song suay
TRTürkçe
düzgün hatlı
duz-gun hat-li
UKУкраїнська
статуватий
sta-tu-va-ty
URاردو
خوب صورت
khoob surat
VITiếng Việt
cân đối
kan doi
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Emerged as gendered aesthetic language in 19th-century fashion criticism, primarily applied to women's bodies as objects of visual evaluation. Normalized the practice of reducing women to physical form.
Inclusive Usage
Avoid in professional/medical contexts. If describing silhouette, use neutral terms like 'curved,' 'angular,' or 'athletic' with context. Apply equally across genders if used.
Inclusive Alternatives
["curved","athletic","proportioned"]
Empowerment Note
Women's bodies were historically valued for 'shapeliness' over capability; modern usage should center women's agency and function.