lively Hear it!

lively Definition

lively (līv)

adjective -·lier, -·li·est

  1. full of life; active; vigorous
  2. full of spirit; exciting; animated a lively debate
  3. showing or inspiring liveliness; cheerful
  4. moving quickly and lightly, as a dance
  5. brisk a lively breeze
  6. vivid; keen; intense lively colors
  7. ☆ bounding back with, or having, great resilience a lively ball

Etymology: ME liflich < OE liflic: see life & -ly

adverb -·lier, -·li·est

in a lively manner

lively Related Forms
live·li·ness noun
lively Synonyms

lively

modif.

  1. Energetic

    active, vigorous, energetic, brisk, industrious, vital, full of life, quick, nimble, spry, snappy*, peppy*, zippy*; see also active 1, 2.

  2. Spirited

    animated, spirited, vivacious, sprightly, gay, cheerful, perky, jaunty, high-spirited, in high spirits, bubbly, effervescent, bouncy, buoyant, frisky, cheery, exuberant, ebullient, sparkling, zestful, chipper*, chirpy*, zingy*; see also happy 1, sprightly.

  3. Stimulating

    rousing, provocative, invigorating, stimulating; see exciting, stimulating.

lively implies being full of life and energy and suggests an active or vigorous quality a lively dance, a lively talk; animated is applied to that which is made alive or bright and suggests a spirited quality an animated face, an animated discussion; vivacious and sprightly imply buoyancy of spirit or sparkling brightness, vivacious also suggesting liveliness a vivacious manner, and sprightly, cheerfulness or vigor a sprightly tune; gay suggests lightheartedness and unrestrained good spirits in gay spirits

lively Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • fairly: This is obviously a fairly lively church, thanks to a population much larger than most Suffolk parishes.
  • pretty: Max is still pretty lively for his age and loves people and cuddles.
  • very: Match Report By: Dave A very lively start from both teams with the best of the initial chances falling to the home team.
  • exceptionally: Corpus is recognized in Oxford as an exceptionally lively center of literary studies.
  • extremely: The tone of the organ is typical of the period - extremely lively, almost brutal.
  • quite: The coast path approaching Talland Talland Bay Talland Bay The walk down to Talland itself is quite lively.

Preposition: at

  • night: It will ensure the place is lively at night and deter undesirables from coming into the area.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • keep: Debut deck demons Funk The Lordz were set the challenge of keeping the vibes lively between the bands.
  • make: The number of students and a constant stream of visitors from all over the world make the city lively throughout the year.

Modifies a noun

  • nightlife: Bodrum holidays - excellent nightlife Bodrum holidays are known in Turkey for its lively nightlife.
  • debate: A lively debate was held, with both sides enjoying the occasion.
  • discussion: Lively Internet discussions stopped just short of flame wars.
  • atmosphere: Very lively atmosphere with a late bar 7 nights a week.
  • resort: Busses run along the coast to the popular lively resort of Paphos.
  • bar: There are several places worthy of mention: Rubber Soul: This is a lively bar, bang in the middle of the street.

Used with adjective complement

  • look: Young Jones looked very lively in the few minutes he was on.
  • feel: Having felt very lively, well and bouncy up to 39 weeks, I started to feel tired, heavy and less well.
  • remain: The fishing port has remained lively, the 16th century citadel has been well preserved and three remarkable towers are scattered around Saint Tropez.
  • become: I just think that with a few changes done, the show could become much more lively.
  • get: It was around the halfway mark, lap five, that it really got lively!

Browse dictionary entries near lively

  1. livelong
  2. liveliness
  3. livelihood
  4. -lived
  5. livebearer
  6. liveable
  7. live with
  8. live wire
  9. live up to
  10. live steam
  1. liven
  2. liver
  3. liver extract
  4. liver fluke
  5. liver spot
  6. liveried
  7. liverish
  8. liverleaf
  9. Livermore
  10. Liverpool