lively

[lahyv-lee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lively ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, live·li·er, live·li·est.

full or suggestive of life or vital energy; active, vigorous, or brisk: a lively discussion.

animated, spirited, vivacious, or sprightly: a lively tune; a lively wit.

eventful, stirring, or exciting: The opposition gave us a lively time.

bustling with activity; astir: The marketplace was lively with vendors.

strong, keen, or distinct; vivid: a lively recollection.

striking, telling, or effective, as an expression or instance.

vivid or bright, as color or light: a lively pink.

sparkling, as wines.

fresh or invigorating, as air: a lively breeze.

rebounding quickly; springing back; resilient: a lively tennis ball.

riding the sea buoyantly, as a ship.

adverb

with briskness, vigor, or animation; briskly: to step lively.

Origin of lively

before 1000; Middle English; Old English līflīc vital. See life, -ly

Related formslive·li·ly, adverblive·li·ness, nouno·ver·live·li·ness, nouno·ver·live·ly, adjectiveun·live·li·ness, nounun·live·ly, adjective, adverb

Synonyms for lively

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lively ON THESAURUS.COM

1. alert, spry, nimble, agile, quick, pert. 2. gay, buoyant. 5. forceful, clear. 7. brilliant, clear, glowing.

Antonyms for lively

1. inactive, torpid. 2. dull. 5. weak. 7. dim.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for livelier

enjoyable, vigorous, provocative, cheerful, festive, frisky, buoyant, peppy, spirited, nimble, bright, entertaining, animated, stimulating, refreshing, bustling, agile, alert, animate, astir

Examples from the Web for livelier

Contemporary Examples of livelier

It was the same debate that stumped the supercommittee, just livelier.
Grover Norquist: Don’t Give an Inch on Taxes!
Eleanor Clift
December 1, 2011

Historical Examples of livelier

The American's heart beat a livelier tempo at the suggestion.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
Sydney was none the livelier and none the soberer for so much application.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
Hazarding the looking-glass, she thought that she could detect a livelier iris too.
Love and Lucy
Maurice Henry Hewlett
"Tell me some of your plans," said she, with a livelier interest than she had yet shown.
The Bramleighs Of Bishop's Folly
Charles James Lever
Petrea's hands bled in consequence of this operation, but that only made her the livelier.
The Home
Fredrika Bremer

British Dictionary definitions for livelier

lively

adjective -lier or -liest

full of life or vigour

vivacious or animated, esp when in company

busy; eventful

characterized by mental or emotional intensity; vivid

having a striking effect on the mind or senses

refreshinga lively breeze

springy or bouncy or encouraging springinessa lively ball

(of a boat or ship) readily responsive to the helm

adverb Also: 'livelily

in a brisk mannerstep lively

look lively (interjection) make haste

Derived Formsliveliness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for livelier

lively

adj.

Old English liflic "living, existing," literally "life-like;" from life + -ly (2). Sense of "active, energetic" developed by early 13c., from notion "full of life."