What does "lovely" mean?
An attractive, lovely person, especially a (professional) beauty.
Lovely
/ˈlʌv.li/ adj, adv, name, noun, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An attractive, lovely person, especially a (professional) beauty.
- Grammar: lovely is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adorable, endearing, admirable, adorable.
- Useful contrasts: awful, cold, delight.
- Usage evidence: America is a lovely place to be, if you are here to earn money.
How to use "lovely"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lovely" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lovely" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lovely" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lovely" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lovely" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adorable" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lovely", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An attractive, lovely person, especially a (professional) beauty. informal
"a calendar depicting young lovelies in bikinis"
- 2 a very pretty girl who works as a photographer's model wordnet
- 3 Term of fond address.
"Goodbye, my lovely."
- 4 A lovely object.
"In Montréal, the summer months bring in a huge variety of fruits and vegetables and this is the time to preserve them. Preserving can also refer to the storage of these fiber and vitamin rich lovelies."
Adjective
- 1 Delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace.
"It's a lovely day and the sun is shining."
- 2 Worthy of praise. archaic
"And so he is in the eyes of all who live to his praise. To them every attribute of God is lovely. The holiness and purity of his nature is most lovely to them."
- 3 Nice; wonderful.
"It would be lovely to have a little more money to spend."
- 4 Inspiring love or friendship; amiable. obsolete
"a most lovely gentlemanlike man"
- 5 Loving, filled with love. obsolete
"seal the title with a lovely kiss"
Adjective
- 1 appealing to the emotions as well as the eye wordnet
- 2 lovable especially in a childlike or naive way wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In a lovely fashion or manner; beautifully. informal
"She's not everyone's cup of tea, what with the way she speaks her mind and doesn't always do her hair in the morning, but she scrubs up lovely."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 An unincorporated community in Martin County, Kentucky, United States.
Antonyms
Example
"America is a lovely place to be, if you are here to earn money."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lovely"?
Common synonyms include: adorable, endearing, admirable, adorable, aesthetic, aesthetically appealing.
How do you use "lovely" in a sentence?
America is a lovely place to be, if you are here to earn money.
How do you pronounce "lovely"?
Pronounced /ˈlʌv.li/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English lovely, luvelich, lufli, from Old English luflīċ, luflīc (“amiable, loving, lovable”), equivalent to love + -ly.
Etymology 2
From Middle English lovely, luveliche, from Old English luflīċe (“lovingly, amiably, kindly, dearly, with good will or love, willingly”), equivalent to love + -ly.
Etymology 3
From Middle English lofly, lovely (“praiseworthy; laudatory”), equivalent to lofe + -ly. Cognate with Dutch loffelijk (“laudable, praiseworthy”), German löblich (“commendable, laudable, praiseworthy”), Swedish lovlig (“permissible”). More at lofe, love.
Etymology 4
From lovely.