lovely
Americanadjective
-
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.
noun
-
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.
adverb
adjective
-
very attractive or beautiful
-
highly pleasing or enjoyable
a lovely time
-
loving and attentive
-
inspiring love; lovable
noun
Usage
What are other ways to say lovely?
The adjective lovely describes people or things that are charmingly or exquisitely beautiful. How is it different from beautiful, handsome, and pretty? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of lovely
First recorded before 900; Middle English luvelich, Old English luflīc “amiable”; love + -ly
Explanation
You've probably heard the adjective lovely to describe something good looking, but did you know that, as a noun, lovely refers, specifically, to a beautiful girl employed as a photographer’s model? From the Old English luflic “affectionate, loveable,” comes lovely, an adjective that describes a person’s or thing’s attractiveness. Find the word love in there — it's something so attractive you can't help but love it. Lovely can also refer to something delightful. For example, a pretty selection of cakes and pastries arranged on a doily could be described as lovely. Anything from your girlfriend to a fresh coat of red paint on your motorcycle can be lovely.
Vocabulary lists containing lovely
Call of Beauty: Synonyms for "Beautiful"
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"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
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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:
BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley has paid tribute to her "lovely" father following his death.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
"You're like the negativity committee so it's lovely coming and talking to you again."
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
“It was lovely because it was back to how a lot of the ‘Heartstopper’ experience has been, which is just me and Joe,” Connor says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The beachfront hotel was lovely but it was difficult to reach guest services on multiple occasions and there was construction outside my room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
“Why, this would be a lovely spot for a fern garden!” she enthused.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Fanny and Stella, middle-class lovelies in hoop skirts, engage in a warm embrace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2025
Estrada’s top tip for growing these lovelies is to plant rhizomes horizontally and shallowly so that the top of the fleshy root is exposed.
From Seattle Times ● May 11, 2024
Hey my lovelies it’s with great disappointment that I willl not be performing this weekend @bbcstrictly due to testing positive with Covid 19.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2021
“So happy Dedicated Side B is OUT! Thank you lovelies for the immense support already!” she exclaimed in a separate Instagram post.
From Fox News ● May 21, 2020
"Welcome, my lovelies; I am Rose Bertain, House Orléans, and Royal Beauty Minister to our great kingdom. I have a message from Her Majesty."
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Less than two miles away, at the Wallace Collection, we find its pendant, the even lovelier “The Rainbow Landscape.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Lifestyle influencers make a vocation out of selling some lovelier version of life, presenting a model to which we can aspire.
From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2023
One newspaper wrote that "it would be difficult to find anyone lovelier than her" while another raved about "her lovely features and lustrous eyes and graceful movements".
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2023
I was nervous, and she couldn't have been lovelier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2022
They were even lovelier than Masvita before her illness.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Her “Left Over,” which she first recorded for 2015’s “For One to Love,” is the loveliest track here, befitting the classics surrounding it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Finn’s hyperactive sense of smell and bottomless appetite provide lighthearted comic relief, while the descriptions of Chase running are some of the book’s loveliest passages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
"It's when we're doing all the loveliest things and we're connected and we're joyful and we're find it very challenging at the moment to be apart."
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
“It’s just the loveliest thought, isn’t it, that they live on and exist within us,” says Al-Shamahi.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2025
“I will give you the loveliest present if you could scamper off and not come back. A nice, crunchy bone, perhaps?”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
