comely

1 of 2

adjective

come·​ly ˈkəm-lē 

also ˈkōm-

or ˈkäm-

comelier; comeliest

1

: pleasurably conforming to notions of good appearance, suitability, or proportion

Going in with him, they observed that all was neat and comely …

—Willa Cather

2

: having a pleasing appearance : not homely or plain

a comely young woman

comeliness noun

comeliness

2 of 2

noun

come·​li·​ness

ˈkəm-lē-nəs also ˈkōm- or ˈkäm-

plural -es

: the condition of being comely especially with respect to grace or beauty of external form

Did you know?

Comely Has a Broad and Beautiful History

Although comely is now typically used to describe the appearance of human beings, it was once used more broadly of other appealing things, such as fine clothing. Comely can be traced back to Old English words variously meaning "glorious," "lively," or "fine." If you are looking to pretty up your prose or poetry with additional words meaning "beautiful," English is well-supplied with them. Aside from beautiful itself, we have lovely, handsome, pretty, fair, good-looking, gorgeous, ravishing, and even well-favored.

Synonyms of comely

Adjective

• handsome
• attractive
• beautiful
• lovely
• cute
• pretty
• gorgeous
• charming
• good

Choose the Right Synonym for comely

beautiful, lovely, handsome, pretty, comely, fair mean exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure.

beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

beautiful mountain scenery

lovely is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite.

a lovely melody

handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

a handsome Georgian mansion

pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness.

a painter of conventionally pretty scenes

comely is like handsome in suggesting what is coolly approved rather than emotionally responded to.

the comely grace of a dancer

fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

fair of face

Examples of comely in a Sentence

Adjective

a brood of comely children that any parent would be proud to claim

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

According to Alessandro Usielli, head of Ford global brand entertainment, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford have all worked with the Bond franchise to introduce new models by providing cars for the superspy, his coterie of comely conquests and his villainous adversaries. —Brett Berk, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026

But there is one recent, telltale post full of pics of the comely couple. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026

Coach builder Zagato didn’t just rebody an Alpine A110 to create this comely and current longtail. —Sean Evans, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2025

The translator need only find the right verbal stones and install them in comely sentences, in cadences that mirror the author’s own, and Mishima’s voice will emerge. —Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English comly, alteration of Old English cȳmlic glorious, from cȳme lively, fine; akin to Old High German kūmig weak

Noun

Middle English comlynesse, from comly + -nesse -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for comely

• glumly

Kids Definition

comely

adjective

come·​ly ˈkəm-lē 

comelier; comeliest

: pleasing to the eye : pretty, attractive

comeliness noun