comeliness 1 of 2

Definition of comelinessnext

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective comely differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of comely are beautiful, fair, handsome, lovely, and pretty. While all these words mean "exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure," comely is like handsome in suggesting what is coolly approved rather than emotionally responded to.

the comely grace of a dancer

When is it sensible to use beautiful instead of comely?

The words beautiful and comely can be used in similar contexts, but beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

beautiful mountain scenery

When would fair be a good substitute for comely?

Although the words fair and comely have much in common, fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

fair of face

When might handsome be a better fit than comely?

In some situations, the words handsome and comely are roughly equivalent. However, handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

a handsome Georgian mansion

How do lovely and beautiful relate to one another, in the sense of comely?

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

a lovely melody

Where would pretty be a reasonable alternative to comely?

The meanings of pretty and comely largely overlap; however, pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness.

a painter of conventionally pretty scenes

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of comeliness
Adjective
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 Here is the story of a comely girl, a mulatto, Margaret Toogood, Maggy. Anna Deavere Smith, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2023 Instead, his big conversion comes later, after Rafael takes a fist to the face for dancing with a local tough guy’s comely fiancée. Peter Debruge, Variety, 23 Aug. 2023 Chin picks up a slide in comely tones of gray, brown, and off-white. Karen Wright, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 See All Example Sentences for comeliness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comeliness
Noun
  • This hermetic secrecy is how Allure beauty director Sarah Kinonen and I recently found ourselves in the bathroom of a suite in the Aman hotel on New York’s Fifth Avenue, brushing our teeth while members of the Dyson public relations team looked on.
    Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • As the affiliate industry grows, particularly for fashion brands and beauty brands which increasingly route a growing share of sales through such links, the answer is getting harder to parse.
    Tom Matsuda, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The list of 500 schools was compiled by the magazine and data research firm Statista, Schools were given a score based on their student outcomes, learning environment and their attractiveness to students.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The stakes are high, with victory on the track bringing in prize money and enhancing the team’s attractiveness to sponsors like Petronas and Microsoft.
    Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Comeliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comeliness. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!