adj
Meaning 1
Full of life; energetic, vivacious.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
lively
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈlaɪv.li/
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General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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/ˈlaɪvli/
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homophone: lively
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CMU ARPABET: L AY1 V L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Bright, glowing, vivid; strong, vigorous.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Endowed with or manifesting life; living.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
Examples
- c. 1600, Philemon Holland chaplets of gold and silver resembling lively flowers and leaves
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 4
Representing life; lifelike.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 5
Airy; animated; spirited.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 6
Fizzy; foamy; tending to produce a large head in the glass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 7
Vigorously.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 8
Vibrantly, vividly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 9
In a lifelike manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 10
A characteristical surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 11
An urban area of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 12
An unincorporated community in Benton County, Missouri.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 13
An unincorporated community in Kaufman County, Texas.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 14
An unincorporated community in Lancaster County, Virginia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 15
An unincorporated community in Fayette County, West Virginia.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 16
Term of address.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 17
full of life and energy
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a lively discussion
- lively and attractive parents
- a lively party
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: dull
adjective satellite
Meaning 18
full of spirit
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a dynamic full of life woman
- a vital and charismatic leader
- this whole lively world
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: full of life, vital
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 19
filled with events or activity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a lively period in history
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 20
elastic; rebounds readily
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- clean bouncy hair
- a lively tennis ball
- as resilient as seasoned hickory
- springy turf
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bouncy, live, resilient, springy
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 21
quick and energetic
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a brisk walk in the park
- a lively gait
- a merry chase
- traveling at a rattling rate
- a snappy pace
- a spanking breeze
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: alert, brisk, merry, rattling, snappy, spanking, zippy
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 22
full of zest or vigor
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a racy literary style
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: racy
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English lyvely, lifly, from Old English līflīċ (“living, lively, long-lived, necessary to life, vital”), from Proto-West Germanic *lībalīk (“living, lively”), equivalent to life + -ly. Cognate with Scots lively, lifely (“of or pertaining to life, vital, living, life-like”), Old High German līblīh (“living, animated”), German leiblich (“bodily, corporeal”). Doublet of lifely and lifelike.
From Middle English lyvely, lifly, from Old English līflīċe, equivalent to life + -ly.
From lively.
Across languages
Translations
96 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Amharic: ንቁ (nəḳu) — full of life
- Arabic: دَجِر (dajir) — full of life
- Arabic: نشيط (nišīṭ) — full of life
- Bulgarian: жив (živ) — full of life
- Bulgarian: оживен (oživen) — full of life
- Bulgarian: искрящ (iskrjašt) — full of life
- Catalan: vivaç — full of life
- Czech: živý — full of life
- Danish: livlig — full of life
- Dutch: levendig — full of life
- Esperanto: sprita — full of life
- Esperanto: verva — full of life
- Esperanto: vigla — full of life
- Faroese: lívligur — full of life
- Finnish: eläväinen — full of life
- French: animé — full of life
- German: lebhaft — full of life
- German: lebendig — full of life
- German: munter — full of life
- German: rege — full of life
- Greek: ζωηρός (zoïrós) — full of life
- Greek: ζωντανός (zontanós) — full of life
- Ancient Greek: βιωτικός (biōtikós) — full of life
- Hindi: जीवंत (jīvant) — full of life
- Hungarian: eleven — full of life
- Hungarian: élénk — full of life
- Icelandic: líflegur — full of life
- Irish: cróga — full of life
- Irish: crógach — full of life
- Irish: cróganta — full of life
- Irish: aerach — full of life
- Irish: beoga — full of life
- Irish: éirimiúil — full of life
- Irish: bíogúil — full of life
- Irish: mear — full of life
- Italian: vivace — full of life
- Italian: brioso — full of life
- Italian: vivido — full of life
- Latin: alacer — full of life
- Latin: vivāx — full of life
- Latin: vegetus — full of life
- Latvian: možs — full of life
- Latvian: mundrs — full of life
- Latvian: žirgts — full of life
- Latvian: spirgts — full of life
- Latvian: ņiprs — full of life
- Latvian: kustīgs — full of life
- Māori: hauoraora — full of life
- Māori: kautangatanga — full of life
- Norwegian Bokmål: livlig — full of life
- Norwegian Nynorsk: livleg — full of life
- Old Church Slavonic: живъ (živŭ) — full of life
- Polish: żywy — full of life
- Polish: pełen życia — full of life
- Portuguese: animado — full of life
- Portuguese: borbulhante — full of life
- Portuguese: efervescente — full of life
- Portuguese: espevitado — full of life
- Portuguese: vibrante — full of life
- Portuguese: vivaz — full of life
- Russian: оживлённый (oživljónnyj) — full of life
- Russian: живой (živoj) — full of life
- Russian: искристый (iskristyj) — full of life
- Scottish Gaelic: aighearach — full of life
- Scottish Gaelic: beò — full of life
- Slovene: živahen — full of life
- Spanish: brioso — full of life
- Spanish: pizpireto — full of life
- Spanish: vivo — full of life
- Spanish: alacre — full of life
- Swedish: livlig — full of life
- Ottoman Turkish: دینج (dinc) — full of life
- Ukrainian: жва́вий (žvávyj) — full of life
- Welsh: byw — full of life
- Bulgarian: ярък (jarǎk) — bright, glowing, vivid; strong
- Bulgarian: силен (silen) — bright, glowing, vivid; strong
- Czech: živý — bright, glowing, vivid; strong
- Greek: ζωηρός (zoïrós) — bright, glowing, vivid; strong
- Hungarian: élénk — bright, glowing, vivid; strong
- Japanese: 賑やか (nigiyaka) — bright, glowing, vivid; strong
- Ukrainian: жва́вий (žvávyj) — bright, glowing, vivid; strong
- Finnish: vaahtoinen — fizzy; foamy
- Finnish: vaahtoava — fizzy; foamy
- Russian: пе́нистый (pénistyj) — fizzy; foamy
- Finnish: eloisasti — vibrantly, vividly
- Latvian: moži — vibrantly, vividly
- Latvian: mundri — vibrantly, vividly
- Latvian: žirgti — vibrantly, vividly
- Latvian: spirgti — vibrantly, vividly
- Latvian: ņipri — vibrantly, vividly
- Latvian: kustīgi — vibrantly, vividly
- Polish: z życiem — vibrantly, vividly
- Russian: оживлённо (oživljónno) — vibrantly, vividly
- Russian: жи́во (žívo) — vibrantly, vividly
- Spanish: vívidamente — vibrantly, vividly
- Spanish: vibrantemente — vibrantly, vividly
Real reading context