English Reference
adjective · adverb

heavenly

adj. · adv.
US /ˈhɛvənɫi/ UK /hˈɛvənli/ heav·en·ly

  1. 01 B1 Intermediate Religion

    adj.related to heaven or God in a religious way.

    adj.pertaining to the dwelling place of the divine or the kingdom of God in a theological context.

    Simple

    The choir sang about heavenly peace during the holiday service.

    In context

    The fresco depicts a heavenly host of angels surrounding the central figure, rendered in vibrant gold leaf to suggest divine radiance.

  2. 02 B1 Intermediate

    adj.extremely pleasant, beautiful, or delicious.

    adj.sublimely beautiful, pleasurable, or excellent; used as an intensive evaluative adjective.

    Simple

    This chocolate cake is absolutely heavenly.

    In context

    After a week of hiking in the rain, the warm bath and clean sheets felt truly heavenly.

  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate Literary Science

    adj.related to the sky, stars, or planets.

    adj.relating to the physical heavens or the sky as an astronomical realm.

    Simple

    The telescope allows us to see heavenly bodies like distant planets.

    In context

    Ancient navigators relied on the movement of heavenly bodies to determine their position across the open sea.

  4. 04 C2 Proficiency LiteraryArchaic

    adv.in a way that seems like it comes from heaven or God.

    adv.in a manner suggesting divine influence or origin.

    Simple

    The music sounded heavenly sweet in the quiet night.

    In context

    The poet described a landscape heavenly blessed by the morning light, untouched by the industrial smoke of the city.


From Middle English hevenely, hevenly, from Old English heofonlīċ (“heavenly, celestial; chaste”); equivalent to heaven + -ly.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Old English heofonlīċ
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated