love ‧ ly S1 W3 /ˈlʌvli/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative lovelier , superlative loveliest )
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ lovable ≠ UNLOVABLE , ↑ loveless , ↑ lovely , ↑ loving , ↑ unloved ; noun : ↑ love , ↑ lover , loveliness., ↑ lovey ; verb : ↑ love ; adverb : ↑ lovingly ]
1 . especially British English beautiful or attractive:
She had a lovely face.
What a lovely house!
You look lovely in that dress.
He was a lovely little boy.
What a lovely day!
2 . spoken especially British English very pleasant, enjoyable, or good:
Thank you for a lovely evening.
That was a lovely cup of tea.
3 . informal especially British English friendly and pleasant:
Richard’s a lovely person.
4 . British English spoken used to say that something is not at all enjoyable or good:
‘The cat threw up all over the carpet!’ ‘Lovely!’
You’ve made a lovely mess in here.
5 . lovely and warm/fresh/clean etc British English spoken used to emphasize how good something is:
This bread’s lovely and fresh.
6 . British English spoken used to show that you are pleased with something:
Push it right across. That’s it, lovely.
—loveliness noun [uncountable]