lovable
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lovable
First recorded in 1300–50, lovable is from the Middle English word lovable, lufabille. See love, -able
Explanation
Someone lovable is very easy to love. Kittens and puppies, cute fictional characters, and sweet-faced stuffed animals all tend to be lovable. Clowns? Not so much. People who are kind and generous to others are also lovable, because they deserve love in return for giving it to others. The adjective lovable comes from love, which has the Old English root lufu, "love, affection, or friendliness."
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.
"Avocado will never fail you. It's such a loving and lovable fruit. I have fallen in love with this fruit now. I'm planning to plant another three acres — only avocado."
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Beyond making us laugh, Neill’s wit was one of those special traits that enhanced all the other aspects that made him so lovable as both an actor and a person.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
For Slattery, what begins as an exercise in comic self-demolition gradually becomes the movie’s biggest surprise, with the actor turning a desperate, delusional version of himself into its most unexpectedly lovable character.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
They documented what endures and is genuinely lovable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
“He was an exceedingly lovable man. He was extremely handsome, too. Not that one’s appearance matters greatly, but he was. He had terribly penetrating eyes, for a man who was intransically kind.”
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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.
