beseem

Syllables: be·seem/bɪˈsiːm/US/bəˈsim/

beseem verb: generally with a qualifying word such as ill or well: to appear, look, or seem (a certain way for someone or something).

Verb

beseem (third-person singular simple present beseems, present participle beseeming, simple past and past participle beseemed)

(ambitransitive, archaic) Generally with a qualifying word such as ill or well: to appear, look, or seem (a certain way for someone or something).
- This inn beseems well for a weary wayfarer.
- To ſay the truth, this fact was infamous, / And ill beſeeming any common man; / Much more a Knight, a Captaine, and a Leader.1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
(ambitransitive, archaic) Without any qualifying word: to be appropriate or creditable (for someone or something).
- It beseems you not to grumble thus.
- Giue me their Bodyes, that I may beare them hence / And giue them Buriall, as beſeemes their worth.1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
Synonyms:

become, befit, suit

Antonyms:

misbeseem, unbeseem

beseem meaning in Hindi, Urdu, Kannada and Gujarati

beseem in Hindi

to appear, look, or seem (a certain way for someone or something): सोहना sohnā
to be appropriate or credible (for someone or something): सोहना sohnā

beseem in Urdu

to be appropriate or credible (for someone or something): شوبھنا

beseem in Gujarati

to be appropriate or credible (for someone or something): સોહવું sohvũ

More languagesFewer languages

beseem in Arabic: اِنْبَغَى inbaḡā, لَاقَ lāqa

Examples of beseem in a sentence

Tis a proper calling, / And well beſeemes her yeares, who would ſhe yoke with?1624 (first performance), John Fletcher, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife. A Comoedy. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Leonard Lichfield […]...
Now they can no more hear thy ghittern's tune, / For venturing syllables that ill beseem / The quiet glooms of such a piteous theme.1820, John Keats, “Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil. A Story from Boccaccio.”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems...
My good damsel, you are now, I think, out of danger; it would ill beseem you, so young and comely, to go further with one not old enough to be your protector, so, in God's name, depart quickly, […]1843, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], “The Broken Gittern”, in The Last of the Barons, volume I, London: Saunders and Otley, […], →OCLC, book I...
The girl is born pretty—and a rebel. […] The mouth, artfully carmined to allure, beseems the red door of a white sepulchre.1915 July, “Close-ups”, in Photoplay Magazine: The National Movie Publication, volume VIII, number 2, Chicago, Ill.: Photoplay Publishing...

Synonyms of beseem

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of beseem

Forms of beseem

third-person singular present	beseems
present participle	beseeming
past participle	beseemed
past	beseemed

Origin of beseem

PIE word *h₁epi From Middle English bisemen (“to beseem”) [and other forms], from be-, bi- (prefix forming transitive verbs with a completive, figurative, or intensifying sense) + semen (“to seem; to be or see as appropriate; to be visible or apparent; to regard”). Semen is derived from Old Norse sœma (“to conform to; to befit, beseem”), from Proto-Germanic *sōmijaną (“to fit; to unite”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; whole”). The English word is analysable as be- (prefix with an intensifying sense) + seem.

Words formed from beseem

Words that rhyme with beseem

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about beseem

What does beseem mean?: Beseem means generally with a qualifying word such as ill or well: to appear, look, or seem (a certain way for someone or something).
What is beseem in Hindi?: Beseem in Hindi is सोहना (sohnā). See Beseem meaning in Hindi.
How do you use beseem in a sentence?: Tis a proper calling, / And well beſeemes her yeares, who would ſhe yoke with?
What part of speech is beseem?: Beseem is a verb.
How do you pronounce beseem?: Beseem is pronounced /bɪˈsiːm/ (UK).
What is the past tense of beseem?: The past tense of beseem is beseemed.

Words near beseem in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: beseem (page history and authors); beseem (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-beseem.wav.

Cite this entry: “beseem.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/beseem. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.