lovely
- charmingly or exquisitely beautiful: a lovely flower.
- having a beauty that appeals to the heart or mind as well as to the eye, as a person or a face.
- delightful; highly pleasing: to have a lovely time.
- of a great moral or spiritual beauty: a lovely character.
- Informal. a beautiful woman, especially a show girl.
- any person or thing that is pleasing, highly satisfying, or the like: Every car in the new line is a lovely.
- Nonstandard. very well; splendidly.
Origin of lovely
Synonym study
Related Words for loveliest
alluring, engaging, pleasing, splendid, sweet, stunning, pleasant, delightful, delicate, delicious, gorgeous, graceful, enchanting, pretty, exquisite, handsome, captivating, picture, fair, knockoutExamples from the Web for loveliest
Contemporary Examples of loveliest
She has been married to the music critic Pete Paphides (“the loveliest man who ever lived”) since 1999.
It stands entirely on its own as one of Salinger's saddest, loveliest stories.
The loveliest thing about this play is that all it wants to do is entertain you.
Historical Examples of loveliest
No color, only light came to the surface of it, and broke in the loveliest smile.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
Eileen was almost, if not quite, the loveliest thing I ever have seen.
Her Father's DaughterGene Stratton-Porter
"The Runs" was, as Hetty had said, one of the loveliest of sea-side places.
Hetty's Strange HistoryAnonymous
This morning there was the loveliest sunshine, and that I was going to leave behind.
Ranald Bannerman's BoyhoodGeorge MacDonald
The loveliest spots on earth are those where man seldom comes.
Henry DunbarM. E. Braddon
lovely
- very attractive or beautiful
- highly pleasing or enjoyablea lovely time
- loving and attentive
- inspiring love; lovable
- slang a lovely woman
Word Origin and History for loveliest
lovely
Old English luflic "affectionate, loveable;" see love (n.) + -ly (1). The modern sense of "lovable on account of beauty, attractive" is from c.1300, "applied indiscriminately to all pleasing material objects, from a piece of plum-cake to a Gothic cathedral" [George P. Marsh, "The Origin and History of the English Language," 1862].