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noun

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 lovely
Adjective
The first flowering of the reblooming variety of these perennial lovelies is in June. Erynn Hassinger, Country Living, 22 Apr. 2023 No, Colin Frissell hooking up with the three lovelies in Wisconsin. Kyle Smith, National Review, 10 Dec. 2019
Noun
Fall foliage looks lovely next to mint green leaves in a delicate white pumpkin. Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025 Polly, my lovely wife and co-writer, lyricist, ideas person and everything, was the one who put the set list together, mostly. Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lovely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lovely
Adjective
  • The film, which largely unfolds on Christmas Eve, has a wonderful sense of the dying light of a late December day, the transition from a shade of damp gray to the inky black of night, and, even better, an actual sense of a particular American place.
    Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
  • This all sounds wonderful, but for me, oil control surpasses everything.
    Lily Wohlner, Allure, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • So radiant, so healthy and so beautiful.
    Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
  • If Nix had set his feet while hitting on just one of three more wide-open heaves against the Bolts, the Broncos are 2-1 — and the AFC West is thrown into beautiful chaos.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • JSerra quarterback Gino Wang and his wide receivers made sure the Olympians didn’t collect another stunner.
    Dan Albano, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Hailing from the prairies of North America, this salvia is an end-of-the-season stunner that produces tall spikes of sky-blue flowers in late summer.
    Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Shaw and Harry Maguire were excellent.
    Mark Critchley, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
  • And this does bode well for interior roominess, which is quite accommodating up front for a variety of heights and body types—plus tremendously comfortable standard sport bucket seats with excellent bolstering.
    Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Take a stroll through the gorgeous downtown area, plus enjoy family-friendly fun and entertainment waiting at the finish line.
    Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Don't let the fancy name fool you; this gorgeous chicken cutlet recipe is fairly easy to make.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Fans at home got an eyeful as muscleman Mike Munz, vocal duo Crash Adams, acrobatic pair The TT Boys, dance act The Funkateers Dancers, singing ensemble The Birmingham Youth Fellowship Choir, and others got down to business.
    Lars Brandle, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Get an eyeful of Davidson on The Tonight Show in the interview above.
    Shania Russell, EW.com, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • The pollution-free night skies present fabulous stargazing.
    Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
  • In what’s become its own tedious theatrical cliché, seen in both Fat Ham and Shakespeare in the Park’s Twelfth Night, Saturday Church ends with the characters transformed through drag into more fabulous versions of themselves.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Start with something easy, like a fridge magnet, tiny illustration, or cute DIY bookmark.
    Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Sep. 2025
  • In the song, JJ and his friends dress up in doctor, pirate, and more cute costumes.
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 19 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lovely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lovely. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.

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