heavenly
Americanadjective
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of or in the heavens.
the heavenly bodies.
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of, belonging to, or coming from the heaven of God, the angels, etc.
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resembling or befitting heaven; blissful; beautiful.
His home in Tahiti was a heavenly spot.
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divine or celestial.
heavenly peace.
adjective
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informal alluring, wonderful, or sublime
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of or occurring in space
a heavenly body
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divine; holy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of heavenly
before 1000; Middle English hevenly, Old English heofonlīc. See heaven, -ly
Explanation
If something is heavenly, it either has something to do with God — it's sacred or divine — or it's so wonderful that it seems like it is, like the heavenly double-fudge brownies that your dad makes. If you hear a priest in a church refer to "the heavenly Father," that basically translates to "God in heaven." When you observe heavenly objects through your telescope, you're looking at things that are in the sky, rather than something sacred or religious. And the most common, everyday way to use this adjective is to mean so beautiful or amazing that it seems like it came from heaven: "This weather is heavenly."
Vocabulary lists containing heavenly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They are widely referred to as "heavenly horses" -- a moniker based on a legend about an Akhal-Teke horse beating a falcon in a mythical race.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
A critic called the mix of garments the designers’ “most heavenly offerings to date.”
From Salon • May 17, 2026
In it, Landry played her original song “Legacy,” a heavenly vocal track banging her head as she unraveled a soundscape that called to mind an ethereal alien planet.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
“We rely not only on heavenly powers, but also on our security and defense forces. We believe equally in God’s mercy and our courage.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
As late as Shakespeare’s time, scientists talked about the revolution of orbs of different proportions and discussed the heavenly music that reverberated throughout the cosmos.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
