lovely
lovely — adjective
1. making you feel happy because it is enjoyable or pleasing in some way
making you feel happy because it is enjoyable or pleasing in some way
What a lovely surprise — Ryo had cleaned the whole kitchen before I got home!
exclamation: 'what a lovely + noun'
The Chen family spent a lovely afternoon walking through the park and feeding the ducks.
collocation: a lovely afternoon
We had a really lovely time at Élise’s birthday party last Saturday.
It was so lovely to hear Vikram’s voice after all those months apart.
Théo made us a lovely meal with fresh vegetables from his garden.
- unpleasant
the direct opposite in general enjoyability
文法句型
what a + lovely + noun
lovely + noun
it was lovely + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Often used in exclamations with 'what a…' (e.g., 'What a lovely day!'). The pattern 'lovely and + adjective' (e.g., 'lovely and warm') means 'pleasantly' and is common in informal British English.
常見錯誤
2. having a beautiful appearance that is pleasing to look at and emotionally appeal
having a beautiful appearance that is pleasing to look at and emotionally appealing
Ayana wore a lovely blue dress to the wedding that matched her eyes.
lovely + colour + noun word order
The old town has lovely narrow streets filled with flowers in the summer.
Rafael gave his grandmother a lovely bouquet of roses for her birthday.
What a lovely painting — the colours are so warm and full of light.
The Wong family live in a lovely cottage by the sea with a garden full of lavender.
- ugly
direct opposite in the appearance sense
文法句型
what a + lovely + noun
lovely + noun
用法筆記
Describes physical appearance of people, places, objects, and nature. Softer and more affectionate than 'beautiful' — 'a lovely face' suggests warmth as well as good looks.
常見錯誤
3. having a kind and warm nature that makes other people feel happy and comfortable
having a kind and warm nature that makes other people feel happy and comfortable around you
The night-shift nurse was so lovely — she stayed late just to keep my grandmother company.
person as subject of 'be lovely'
It was lovely of Christopher to drive me to the airport at 5 in the morning.
pattern: 'it was lovely of + person + to-infinitive'
Putri is one of the loveliest people I know — she always remembers everyone’s birthday.
Our neighbours are a lovely couple who often bring us homemade cookies.
The librarian was lovely and let me borrow the book for an extra week.
- mean
the direct opposite in terms of kindness
- unfriendly
opposite in sociability
文法句型
a lovely + person
be lovely
it is/was lovely of + person + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Only describes people and their personalities. Not used for objects or situations — if someone says 'a lovely person', they mean kind and friendly, not necessarily attractive.
常見錯誤
lovely — noun
1. a woman who is very attractive in appearance, used especially in old-fashioned o
a woman who is very attractive in appearance, used especially in old-fashioned or literary contexts
At the party, a detective sees a lovely standing by the piano.
old-fashioned noun usage
The magazine featured a young lovely in a silk dress on its cover.
In her youth she was quite a lovely, with dark hair and a warm smile.
The painter asked the lovely to sit where the afternoon light fell softly.
文法句型
a lovely
用法筆記
Old-fashioned in modern speech. May sound dated or literary — most English speakers today would use 'beautiful woman' or 'gorgeous woman' instead.
2. a warm, friendly way of speaking directly to someone, especially a woman or a ch
a warm, friendly way of speaking directly to someone, especially a woman or a child, to show affection
Don’t you worry about a thing, lovely — everything will be just fine.
informal address term for a woman
Here’s your change, lovely, and have a wonderful day!
The nursery teacher smiled at the crying child and said, “Come here, lovely.”
Sit down, lovely, and tell me what you learned at school today.
文法句型
(direct address) Lovely, ...
用法筆記
Common in British English as a friendly term of address, especially from shopkeepers, wait staff, or service workers to customers. Used mainly to women and children — addressing a man this way may sound unusual.