lovely
lovely Lexical Profile
lovely Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Exquisitely beautiful, attractive, or pleasing to the senses.
"The bride wore a lovely lace gown that captivated everyone in the room."
Very pleasant, enjoyable, or delightful.
"We had a lovely afternoon strolling through the botanical gardens."
Kind, friendly, and warm-hearted in character or disposition.
"Our new neighbors are such lovely people who immediately offered to help us unpack."
• noun
An attractive or glamorous person, especially a young woman, or an affectionate term of address for someone dear.
"The photographer took several snapshots of the glamorous lovelies posing on the red carpet."
Word Nuance & Usage
Despite ending in the suffix '-ly', 'lovely' is almost exclusively an adjective rather than an adverb; to modify a verb in standard English, use an adverb like 'lovingly' or a prepositional phrase such as 'in a lovely manner'.
• Rhymes for lovely
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'luflic', meaning affectionate, amiable, or worthy of love, formed from 'lufu' (love) and '-lic' (-ly).