lively
Americanadjective
-
livelier,
comparative
-
liveliest
superlative
-
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.
- Antonyms:
- dim
-
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
adjective
-
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
-
refreshing
a lively breeze
-
springy or bouncy or encouraging springiness
a lively ball
-
(of a boat or ship) readily responsive to the helm
adverb
-
in a brisk manner
step lively
-
(interjection) make haste
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
livelinessnoun
-
overlivelinessnoun
-
unlivelinessnoun
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overlivelyadjective
-
unlivelyadjective
-
livelilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of lively
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English līflīc “vital”; see life, -ly
Explanation
If you’re feeling lively, you might whistle a tune, go for a brisk jog, or strike up an amusing conversation. Lively means "active, spirited, and energetic." Lively is an adjective derived from the noun "life," and it basically means "full of life." A lively party is exciting and entertaining. A lively person has an energetic personality, is always on alert, and prefers being active as opposed to just hanging around. Note that a "lively discussion" isn’t necessarily a happy discussion; it could be a spirited or even heated conversation where all parties are actively involved. Lively means the opposite of sluggish or dull.
Vocabulary lists containing lively
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
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List 2
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"One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
The trio stops for a lively trans poetry reading.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Helped by lively English pitches, Robinson has been able to concentrate on his greatest skill - his control of line and length.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
She was lively and in on the joke from the very beginning.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
A lively arts scene includes a symphony orchestra, regional theater and the Tucson Folk Festival.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
This task finally tore Penelope’s mind away from her ruminations about how many degrees of dead there might be, and back to the bright, cozy nursery and the extremely lively children who lived there.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
With Conan O’Brien returning as host in 2026, the ceremony was much in the spirit of his first go in 2025, except this was all in all a livelier, funnier show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
A state-run news portal credited a Li essay with shaping Xi’s views on improving the party’s public messaging through livelier language.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
It was livelier now, but it seemed certain that no one would get hired today.
From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2026
But he said that the campaign in recent days had been "much livelier" than was usually the case at that stage.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2025
And you’ll often be surprised, and your writing will be livelier, if you take a few seconds to look up the original wording of a cliche.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Welcome to Lukyanivka, one of the most heavily bombed neighborhoods in Ukraine’s capital city, but still one of the liveliest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Black Friday—the nickname for the day after Thanksgiving—may be an unofficial holiday, but it has earned the reputation of being one of the liveliest shopping days of the year.
From Barron's ● Nov. 28, 2025
In fact, the reviewer found Whale "the liveliest natural new personality to turn up on TV for ages", saying he possessed "a surfeit of punch and charisma".
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2025
Removing the liveliest member of our family, without calls or texts, felt like someone had taken one of my internal organs across state lines without telling me how to heal.
From New York Times ● Mar. 22, 2024
The liveliest medium of all is the blogosphere.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
