lovely

English edit

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lovely

Pronunciation edit

enPR: lŭv′lē, IPA^(key): /ˈlʌv.li/
Audio (US) (file)

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English lovely, luvelich, lufli, from Old English luflīċ, luflīc (“amiable, loving, lovable”), equivalent to love +‎ -ly.

Adjective edit

lovely (comparative lovelier, superlative loveliest)

Beautiful; charming; very pleasing in form, looks, tone, or manner.
It's a lovely day and the sun is shining.

The music box plays a lovely melody.

The castle garden enchants visitors with its lovely blooms.
- 1915, Herman Cyril McNeile, The Lieutenant and Others:
  His pink coat was lovely
- 1923, Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, in New Hampshire […], New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt and Company, →OCLC, page 87:
  The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
- 1977, Skip Scarborough, Bill Withers (lyrics and music), “Lovely Day”, performed by Bill Withers:
  Then I look at you / And the world's alright with me / Just one look at you / And I know it's gonna be / A lovely day
Very nice, wonderful.
It would be lovely to have a little more money to spend.
- 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, volume 1, London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., page 135:
  It is a lovely night, and why should we not prolong our ride a little?"
(obsolete) Inspiring love or friendship; amiable.
- c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
  a most lovely gentlemanlike man
(obsolete) Loving, filled with love.
- c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
  seal the title with a lovely kiss

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

beautiful; charming; very pleasing in form, looks, tone, or manner.

Bulgarian: възхитителен (bg) (vǎzhititelen), очарователен (bg) (očarovatelen)
Catalan: encantador
Chinese: please add this translation if you can
Czech: líbezný (cs)
Danish: dejlig, yndig
Dutch: liefelijk (nl), lieflijk (nl), beminnelijk (nl)
Esperanto: aminda, bela (eo)
Faroese: deiligur
Finnish: suloinen (fi), viehättävä (fi), miellyttävä (fi)
Galician: adorábel (gl) m or f
Georgian: მშვენიერი (mšvenieri), ტურფა (ṭurpa), საუცხოო (saucxoo), საყვარელი (saq̇vareli), მომხიბლავი (momxiblavi), მიმზიდველი (mimzidveli), სასიამოვნო (sasiamovno), სანდომიანი (sandomiani), წარმტაცი (c̣armṭaci), თვალწარმტაცი (tvalc̣armṭaci)
German: lieblich (de), liebreizend (de), herrlich (de), schön (de)
Italian: bello (it), magnifico (it)
Japanese: 綺麗 (ja) (kirei)
Latin: amabilis (la), venustus
Latvian: mīlīgs
Middle English: wlonk, lefly, lovely, lovesom
Norwegian:
Bokmål: deilig (no), vakker (no)
Old English: lēoflīċ
Plautdietsch: schmock, scheen
Portuguese: adorável (pt), amável (pt), querido (pt)
Russian: восхитительный (ru) (vosxititelʹnyj)
Sanskrit: गूर्त (sa) (gūrta), मञ्जु (sa) (mañju)
Swedish: vacker (sv), härlig (sv)
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Ukrainian: чудо́вий (čudóvyj)
Vietnamese: dễ thương (vi)
Welsh: hyfryd (cy)

very nice, wonderful

Bulgarian: прелестен (bg) (prelesten), прекрасен (bg) (prekrasen)
Catalan: preciós (ca)
Cebuano: ^{(please verify)} matahum, maanindot, gwapo
Danish: herlig
Dutch: heerlijk (nl), zalig (nl)
Esperanto: aminda
Finnish: ihana (fi)
French: magnifique (fr)
German: herrlich (de), schön (de)
Italian: stupendo (it)
Japanese: 良い (ja) (yoi)
Latvian: mīlīgs
Middle English: lovesom, lovely
Norwegian:
Bokmål: herlig (no)
Polish: miły (pl) m, mili (pl) m pl, miła f, miłe (pl) f pl, miłe (pl) n, miłe (pl) n pl
Portuguese: adorável (pt), amável (pt), querido (pt)
Russian: восхитительный (ru) (vosxititelʹnyj)
Swedish: härlig (sv)
Ukrainian: чудо́вий (čudóvyj), ми́лий (mýlyj)
Welsh: hyfryd (cy)

inspiring love or friendship

Dutch: ^{(please verify)} (teer)geliefd, ^{(please verify)} lievenswaardig
Middle English: lovesom
Swedish: härlig (sv)

loving, filled with love

Middle English: lovely

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

French: ^{(please verify)} adorable (fr)
German: ^{(please verify)} herrlich (de)
Tatar: ^{(please verify)} сөйкемле (söykemle)

Noun edit

lovely (plural lovelies)

(informal) An attractive, lovely person, especially a (professional) beauty.
Synonyms: pretty, darling

a calendar depicting young lovelies in bikinis
Term of fond address.
Goodbye, my lovely.
- 1969, Peter Sarstedt (lyrics and music), “Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?”:
  But where do you go to my lovely / When you're alone in your bed?
A lovely object.
- 2011, Theodora Floros, What'S for Lunch?: A Cooking Guide for Parents, →ISBN, page 13:
  In Montréal, the summer months bring in a huge variety of fruits and vegetables and this is the time to preserve them. Preserving can also refer to the storage of these fiber and vitamin rich lovelies.
- 2015, Marlys Millhiser, The Mirror, →ISBN:
  May Bell ironed the last ruffle and then hung the dress in the wardrobe next to her other lovelies.

Translations edit

attractive person

Bulgarian: красавица (bg) f (krasavica)
Dutch: lieverd (nl) m, liefje (nl) n, (je) schat (nl), oogappel (nl)
Greek: υπέροχη (el) (ypérochi)
Hebrew: מַחֲּמַדִּ֑ים m pl (ma·ḥă·mad·dîm)
Spanish: hermoso (es)

lovely object

Dutch: (iets) liefs n, schat (nl)

Etymology 2 edit

From Middle English lovely, luveliche, from Old English luflīċe (“lovingly, amiably, kindly, dearly, with good will or love, willingly”), equivalent to love +‎ -ly.

Adverb edit

lovely (comparative more lovely, superlative most lovely)

(informal) In a lovely fashion or manner; beautifully.
- 2014, Neil Bartlett, chapter 18, in The Disappearance Boy‎^[1], A&C Black:
  She's not everyone's cup of tea, what with the way she speaks her mind and doesn't always do her hair in the morning, but she scrubs up lovely.

Etymology 3 edit

From Middle English lofly, lovely (“praiseworthy; laudatory”), equivalent to lofe +‎ -ly. Cognate with Dutch loffelijk (“laudable, praiseworthy”), German löblich (“commendable, laudable, praiseworthy”), Swedish lovlig (“permissible”). More at lofe, love.

Adjective edit

lovely (comparative lovelier or more lovely, superlative loveliest or most lovely)

(archaic) Worthy of praise.
- 1773, Thomas Boston (the Elder.), Alexander Colden, The Whole Works of the late reverend and learned Mr. Thomas Boston, Minister of the Gospel at Etterick:
  And so he is in the eyes of all who live to his praise. To them every attribute of God is lovely. The holiness and purity of his nature is most lovely to them.
- 1807, Erasmus Middleton, Evangelical biography:
  He is altogether lovely. O, all our praises of him are poor and low things!
- 1823, Church of England, Llyfr gweddi gyffredin:
  О praise the Lord, for the Lord is gracious : О sing praises unto his Name, for it is lovely.
- 1834, David Dickson, A Brief Explication of the Psalms - Volume 1, page 39:
  It is the duty of all believers to join themselves cheerfully in the setting forth the Lord's care over them, and whatsoever may make his lovely Majesty known to the world: for so he requireth the present precept and example, -- sing praises to the Lord.
- 1876, John Vaughan, Trinity hymns for the worship of the three-one Jehovah in faith & love:
  My precious Saviour's matchless name ; He's wise and holy, just and true, And altogether lovely too.