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.
Praised for: Its intense and lovable characters in a chaotic Pittsburgh hospital.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
What to know: Ferrell, a master of playing obnoxious, egotistical men who are somehow still lovable, does that once again in this comedy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026
Over his career, Stefanovic built a public persona as a larrikin - a lovable rogue figure - and won Australian TV's top award, the Gold Logie, for most popular presenter in 2011.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
What you will find are the lovable supporting actors of the meat world: skirt steak, pork riblets, chuck roast, spicy sausage, the occasional coil of chorizo.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
Her steady beam of love was unsettling, and she had never dropped those expressions of affection that had been so lovable in her childhood.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
