loveliness 1 of 3

lovely

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adjective

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2

lovely

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noun (2)

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective lovely differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of lovely are beautiful, comely, fair, handsome, and pretty. While all these words mean "exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure," lovely is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite.

a lovely melody

When could beautiful be used to replace lovely?

The words beautiful and lovely are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

beautiful mountain scenery

How are the words comely and handsome related as synonyms of lovely?

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

the comely grace of a dancer

When is fair a more appropriate choice than lovely?

In some situations, the words fair and lovely are roughly equivalent. However, fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

fair of face

When would handsome be a good substitute for lovely?

While in some cases nearly identical to lovely, handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

a handsome Georgian mansion

When is it sensible to use pretty instead of lovely?

Although the words pretty and lovely have much in common, 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 loveliness
Adjective
Among her options: No. 1 Top-Floor Walkup This sunny, west-facing one-bedroom was on the top floor of a five-story walkup building on a lovely street in the Jackson Heights Historic District. Joyce Cohen, New York Times, 22 May 2025 So, here’s to you Mother Nature for a lovely spring. Sherry Kuehl, Kansas City Star, 21 May 2025
Noun
No, Colin Frissell hooking up with the three lovelies in Wisconsin. Kyle Smith, National Review, 10 Dec. 2019 The vegetables: Along with the summer lovelies mentioned above, some people get all crazy and put mushrooms in their ratatouille. James P. Dewan, chicagotribune.com, 13 Aug. 2019 See All Example Sentences for loveliness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for loveliness
Adjective
  • Your wonderful dog may or may not hanker to break routine and go on holiday.
    John Oseid, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
  • My daughter came to live with us for nine wonderful years.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Their beautiful bi-level home is hidden on a backstreet in Palermo.
    Liza B. Zimmerman, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
  • In the back of The Testaments is a beautiful dedication to me and some of the cast members.
    Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • Amazon The latest MacBook Air (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is an excellent, lightweight laptop.
    Brenda Stolyar, Wired News, 24 May 2025
  • The enchanting espionage comedy flaunts an excellent Benicio del Toro as a 1950s industrialist, who, after surviving an attempt on his life, names his estranged daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton) as heir to his empire.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • These astronomers want to find them — Mysterious cosmic lights turn out to be 2 undiscovered supernova remnants — Watch 2 gorgeous supernova remnants evolve over 20 years (timelapse video) This lack of emissions poses challenges to determining the type of supernova that produced Teleios.
    Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 29 May 2025
  • Number of courts: 8. Synopsis: A gorgeous setting for tennis, with tall pines and oaks surrounding you on three sides.
    Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • This is a fabulous day for romance and warm, loving relations with others, because the Moon is in your sign, lined up with Venus in your sign, which is also close to Neptune in your sign.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 23 May 2025
  • The Verhaeghe-Bennett-Tkachuk line was fabulous Thursday.
    Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • The knotted fabric straps have an elevated look, making these cute enough to wear with your favorite sundresses and skirts.
    Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2025
  • Shows can only be so cute or funny or familiar or fresh.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • He’s been awesome and the rest of the guys have been awesome.
    Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 28 May 2025
  • There was an awesome sequence where Finn Balor missed the Coup de Grace, followed by a stomp on Balor by Rollins and a Helluva Kick on Rollins by Zayn.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Here the handsome yellow and gray Palazzo del Capitolo building is close to Jana’s Café, where tank topped and tattooed visitors sipped rather than chugged espressos.
    Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
  • These escapades are set in 1950 and have a handsome vintage color palette of white, gray, green, metal and wood.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Loveliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/loveliness. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.

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