Lovely — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈləv-lē/ love·ly

Meaning & Definition of Lovely

Lovely (adjective)

  1. delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace, attractive
  2. grand, swell
  3. eliciting love by moral or ideal worth

Lovely (noun)

  1. a beautiful woman
  2. a lovely object

Lovely (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. of the very best kind

    "thanked their hosts for the lovely time they had at the party"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

  2. very pleasing to look at

    "a lovely painting of young girls in their summer dresses"

    similar: aesthetic, attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny (chiefly British), comely, cute, drop-dead, fair, fetching, good, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, knockout, likely, lovesome, pretty, ravishing, seemly, sightly, stunning, taking, well-favored
    related: alluring, appealing, charming, cunning, delightful, engaging, fascinating, glamorous, prepossessing, elegant, exquisite, glorious, Junoesque, magnificent, resplendent, splendid, statuesque, sublime, superb, flawless, perfect, radiant, dainty, delicate, personable, pleasant, presentable, chocolate-box, prettyish, desirable, dishy, dollish, foxy, hot, luscious, nubile, pulchritudinous, seductive, sexy, toothsome, hunky, studly (slang), arresting, eye-catching, flamboyant, flashy, glossy, showstopping, showy, slick, snazzy, splashy, striking, zingy, photogenic, telegenic
    opposite: grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, plain, ugly, unaesthetic, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely, uncute, unhandsome, unlovely, unpleasing, unpretty, unsightly
    near: abhorrent, abominable, bad, disagreeable, disgusting, dreadful, foul, frightful, ghastly, horrible, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, objectionable, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, shocking, sickening, terrible, vile, unappealing, unappetizing, unimposing, unpleasant, unprepossessing, frumpish, frumpy, unbecoming, unshapely

Lovely (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in beauty, goddess

    similar: beauty, eyeful, goddess, stunner, babe, cutie, dish, doll, dreamboat (slang), fox, glamour-puss, hottie, knockout, looker, showstopper, ten, beefcake, hunk, stud, superstud
    opposite: dog

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Lovely

The most common words with a similar meaning to Lovely:

Slang: boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical, righteous
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, grand, great, groovy, heavenly

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Lovely

Words with the opposite meaning of Lovely:

atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched, grotesque, hideous, homely, ill-favored, plain, ugly, unaesthetic, unattractive, unbeautiful, uncomely, uncute, unhandsome, unlovely, unpleasing, unpretty, unsightly, dog

Related Words for Lovely

acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional, alluring, appealing, charming, cunning, delightful, engaging, fascinating, glamorous, prepossessing, elegant

Near Antonyms of Lovely

bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate, abhorrent, abominable, disagreeable, disgusting, dreadful, foul, frightful, ghastly, horrible, loathsome, nasty, nauseating, objectionable, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, shocking, sickening, unappealing

Word Forms of Lovely

Inflections: lovelier, loveliest, lovelies

Derived words: lovelily (adverb), loveliness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Lovely

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Lovely

Words & Phrases Containing Lovely

lovely and, a good/great/lovely time

Frequently Asked Questions about Lovely

What does "Lovely" mean?

"Lovely" means delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace, attractive. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace, attractive. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Lovely"?

Other words for "Lovely" include A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip and blue-ribbon. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Lovely" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Lovely"?

There are 209 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Lovely". Common alternatives include A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo and bonny.

What is a slang word for "Lovely"?

Slang words for "Lovely" include boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous and gone.

What is the opposite of "Lovely"?

Antonyms of "Lovely" include atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten and terrible. Near antonyms include bad, inferior, low-grade and substandard.

How do you use "Lovely" in a sentence?

Examples of "Lovely" in a sentence: "thanked their hosts for the lovely time they had at the party"; "a lovely painting of young girls in their summer dresses".

Is "Lovely" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Lovely" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Lovely" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Lovely" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.