Added 8 October 2026
lively
/ˈlaɪv.li/ adjective
In Latin: alacer, vivāx, vegetus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about lively at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
noun
adverb
- Vigorously.
- Vibrantly, vividly.
- In a lifelike manner.
Origin
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 Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)