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love‧ly S2 W3
comparative lovelier, superlative loveliest
comparative lovelier, superlative loveliest1 especially British English beautiful or attractive :
She had a lovely face.
What a lovely house!
What a lovely day!
She had a lovely face.
What a lovely house!
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.
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.
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.
'The cat threw up all over the carpet!' 'Lovely!'
You've made a lovely mess in here.5 used to emphasize how good something is :
This bread's lovely and fresh.
lovely and warm/fresh/clean etc
British English spoken
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.
Push it right across. That's it, lovely. —loveliness noun [uncountable]
WORD FOCUS: nice 
person: lovely, pleasant, charming, sweet, adorable
thing/place/activity/time: lovely, pleasant, delightful
➔ See also nice





