What does lacelike mean?
Lacelike means resembling lace. It is especially appropriate for a pattern, texture, fabric, or decorative feature that is fine, delicate, intricately worked, or open in appearance. The word can praise visual craftsmanship, as in a “lacelike carving,” or describe the delicate pattern left by frost, shadows, or metalwork. Its positive aesthetic association is stronger than that of neutral words such as “delicate,” while it is more specific than “ornate,” because it evokes the thread-like detail and openness associated with lace. Lacelike is also occasionally used to suggest fragility or excessive intricacy. In ordinary use, it functions mainly as an adjective and appears before nouns such as “pattern,” “detail,” “texture,” and “trimming.”
adjectiveResembling lace, especially in being delicate, finely patterned, or intricately woven.
- Resembling lace in delicacy, intricacy, or open decorative pattern.
"Sunlight cast lacelike shadows across the embroidered tablecloth."
"The frost covered the window with a lacelike pattern."
"She chose a lacelike scarf to complement her formal dress."
Lacelike is where a material becomes lace without actually being lace: the word describes an effect, not a fabric.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lacelike come from?
Lacelike is an English formation combining the noun “lace” with the suffix “-like,” meaning “resembling.” The word “lace” comes through Anglo-French from Latin “laqueus,” an old word for a cord, noose, or snare, although its precise ultimate origin is uncertain. Related English forms include “lacy,” “lacework,” and “lacing,” all of which belong to the same word family based on “lace.”
How lacelike is actually used
Usually used before a noun, though it can also occur predicatively. The closed form “lacelike” and the hyphenated form “lace-like” are both used, with the closed form common in British and American writing.
Easily confused with lacelike
Lace is the material itself, made from threads worked into an open or decorative pattern, whereas lacelike means merely that something resembles such a material or design.