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
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Informal. a beautiful woman, especially a show girl.
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any person or thing that is pleasing, highly satisfying, or the like.
Every car in the new line is a lovely.
adverb
adjective
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very attractive or beautiful
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highly pleasing or enjoyable
a lovely time
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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:
Occasionally, Göransson adds a lovely monotone layer of woodwinds or a keening chorus that sounds like the oldest song on Earth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
It seems a long time ago now, but go back to the day that Liverpool sealed the Premier League title under Arne Slot in 2025 and there is a lovely clip of Alexis Mac Allister.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Anderson’s use of far-flung needle drops and lovely original score work is, like everything in his film universe, planned down to exacting detail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Mr. Campo-Flores describes this lovely state of affairs:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
It was a lovely start to the day, but something was on Brightbill’s mind.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Fanny and Stella, middle-class lovelies in hoop skirts, engage in a warm embrace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2025
Persimmons, grapefruit, kumquats and perhaps the most delectable and elusive of all the mandarins: the tiny, seedless kishus — all of these little lovelies thrive in our climate.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2023
Cool, dark conditions, like those found in an unheated basement, a garage or a shed, will lull your lovelies into dormancy and hold them there in relative suspended animation.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 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
“Not terribly. They happened on a couple lovelies of their own. Not as lovely as yours, of course.”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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
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
“She couldn’t have been lovelier and more generous,” Johnson said, adding that Lansbury was perfect for the scene in every way except one: “Not a gamer,” he explained.
From New York Times ● Dec. 23, 2022
I was nervous, and she couldn't have been lovelier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2022
Whitby.—Lucy met me at the station, looking sweeter and lovelier than ever, and we drove up to the house at the Crescent in which they have rooms.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Each rendering is a wager against oblivion, and Mr. Armitage’s is the loveliest wager of the lot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
But if “What Do You Mean?” deploys a more conventional tropical-house production, it’s still built around one of the singer’s loveliest vocals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 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
The women looked at him and whispered to one another until one, dressed in blue and the loveliest of them all, rose.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
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.
