# lovely

Pronunciation: say "LUV-lee" /ˈlʌv.li/

## Adjective

1. Delightful because of its beauty, harmony, or grace.
   - Simple: Very beautiful or pleasing to look at or listen to.
   - _She has a lovely singing voice, clear and perfectly in tune._
   - _The old harbor town looks even lovelier at sunset._
2. Very nice, pleasant, or enjoyable; wonderful.
   - Simple: Very nice or very good.
   - _We had a lovely time at the lake, even though it rained all afternoon._
   - _A cup of tea would be lovely right now, thanks._

## Noun

3. An affectionate form of address for someone one is fond of, usually in the phrase my lovely. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A warm, friendly name you call someone you care about.
   - _Come in out of the rain, my lovely, and I'll put the kettle on._
   - _My lovely, you look worn out, so sit down and let me finish the dishes._
5. A very attractive person, especially a professional beauty whose looks are part of the job. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A very good-looking person, often someone whose job is to look beautiful.
   - _The ad showed a sports car surrounded by smiling lovelies in sequined dresses._
   - _Every summer the magazine put a new beach lovely on its cover._
6. A beautiful or delightful object.
   - Simple: A beautiful or very nice thing, like a pretty dress.
   - _The market stalls were piled high with ripe peaches, plums, and other summer lovelies._
   - _This little lovely is the oldest brooch in her collection._

## Adverb

4. Beautifully, or in a very pleasing way. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: In a beautiful or very nice way.
   - _The engine's running lovely now that the mechanic has had a proper look at it._
   - _That cake's risen lovely, just look at it._

## Adjective

7. Inspiring love or friendship in others; amiable. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Easy to love or to be friends with.
8. Deserving to be praised. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: So good that it should be praised.
9. Full of love, or showing love toward someone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Full of love for someone.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5–7, 9** — Made of love + -ly, the word goes back to Old English luflīċ ("amiable, loving, lovable") and came down as Middle English lovely.
**Meaning 4** — In form love + -ly, this goes back to Old English luflīċe ("lovingly, amiably, kindly, with good will") and came down as Middle English lovely.
**Meaning 8** — From Middle English lofly, lovely ("praiseworthy, laudatory"), equivalent to lofe + -ly. It is cognate with Dutch loffelijk ("laudable"), German löblich ("commendable") and Swedish lovlig ("permissible").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/lovely (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).