ENGLISH
REFERENCE

lively

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɫaɪvɫi// UK //lˈaɪvli// live·ly Archaic General-service Informal

adj. full of energy, excitement, and interest. You use this to describe people, places, or conversations that are active and fun.

adj. characterised by high levels of energy, animation, or activity. Often used to describe social atmospheres, intellectual debates, or individuals with vigorous personalities.


SIMPLE

The city has a very lively atmosphere at night.

CONTEXTUAL

The students had a lively discussion about the new school rules during their lunch break.

COMPLEX

The market square was particularly lively on Saturday mornings, filled with the competing shouts of vendors and the rhythmic sounds of a local street band.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

Typically functions as an attributive or predicative adjective; it does not have a corresponding adverb form ending in '-lily'.

Pitfall

He spoke to me livelily.He spoke to me in a lively way.Lively already ends in -ly but is an adjective; to use it as an adverb, you must use a phrase like 'in a lively manner'.

Idioms1 entry

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