lively

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live·ly

(līv′lē)

adj. live·li·er, live·li·est

a. Full of energy or alertness; vigorous or animated: a lively baby; lively eyes.

b. Characterized by much activity or excitement: "You would have ... indulged in the rides, games and fast food on the lively boardwalks" (Sarah Milstein). See Synonyms at active.

a. Quick-paced: a lively tune.

b. Full of flavor or spice: a lively sauce.

c. Stimulating and invigorating: a lively breeze.

3. Rebounding readily upon impact; resilient: a lively tennis ball.

adv.

With energy or vigor; briskly: Step lively!

[Middle English lifli, from Old English līflīc, from līf, life; see leip- in Indo-European roots.]

live′li·ly adv.

live′li·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lively

(ˈlaɪvlɪ)

adj, -lier or -liest

1. full of life or vigour

2. vivacious or animated, esp when in company

3. busy; eventful

4. characterized by mental or emotional intensity; vivid

5. having a striking effect on the mind or senses

6. refreshing: a lively breeze.

7. springy or bouncy or encouraging springiness: a lively ball.

8. (Nautical Terms) (of a boat or ship) readily responsive to the helm

adv

9. in a brisk manner: step lively.

10. look lively (interjection) make haste

ˈliveliness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

live•ly

(ˈlaɪv li)

adj.andadv. -li•er, -li•est. adj.

1. full or suggestive of life or vital energy; active, vigorous, or brisk: a lively discussion.

2. animated; spirited, vivacious, or sprightly: a lively tune; a lively wit.

3. eventful, stirring, or exciting: The opposition gave us a lively time.

4. bustling with activity; astir: The marketplace was lively with vendors.

5. strong, keen, or distinct; vivid: a lively recollection.

6. striking, telling, or effective, as an expression or instance.

7. vivid or bright, as color or light: a lively pink.

8. sparkling, as wines.

9. fresh or invigorating, as air: a lively breeze.

10. rebounding quickly; resilient: a lively tennis ball.

adv.

11. with briskness, vigor, or animation; briskly: to step lively.

[before 1000; Middle English; Old English līflīc vital]

live′li•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	lively - full of life and energy; "a lively discussion"; "lively and attractive parents"; "a lively party" alert, watchful - engaged in or accustomed to close observation; "caught by a couple of alert cops"; "alert enough to spot the opportunity when it came"; "constantly alert and vigilant, like a sentinel on duty" animated, alive - having life or vigor or spirit; "an animated and expressive face"; "animated conversation"; "became very animated when he heard the good news" energetic - possessing or exerting or displaying energy; "an energetic fund raiser for the college"; "an energetic group of hikers"; "it caused an energetic chemical reaction" spirited - displaying animation, vigor, or liveliness rested - not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing; "came back rested from her vacation" dull - lacking in liveliness or animation; "he was so dull at parties"; "a dull political campaign"; "a large dull impassive man"; "dull days with nothing to do"; "how dull and dreary the world is"; "fell back into one of her dull moods"
	2.	lively - full of zest or vigor; "a racy literary style" racy spirited - displaying animation, vigor, or liveliness
	3.	lively - quick and energetic; "a brisk walk in the park"; "a lively gait"; "a merry chase"; "traveling at a rattling rate"; "a snappy pace"; "a spanking breeze" brisk, spanking, zippy, alert, rattling, merry, snappy energetic - possessing or exerting or displaying energy; "an energetic fund raiser for the college"; "an energetic group of hikers"; "it caused an energetic chemical reaction"
	4.	lively - elastic; rebounds readily; "clean bouncy hair"; "a lively tennis ball"; "as resilient as seasoned hickory"; "springy turf" bouncy, springy, resilient, live elastic - capable of resuming original shape after stretching or compression; springy; "an elastic band"; "a youthful and elastic walk"
	5.	lively - filled with events or activity; "a lively period in history" eventful - full of events or incidents; "the most exhausting and eventful day of my life"
	6.	lively - full of spirit; "a dynamic full of life woman"; "a vital and charismatic leader"; "this whole lively world" full of life, vital animated, alive - having life or vigor or spirit; "an animated and expressive face"; "animated conversation"; "became very animated when he heard the good news"

lively

adjective

1. animated, spirited, quick, keen, active, alert, dynamic, sparkling, vigorous, cheerful, energetic, outgoing, merry, upbeat (informal), brisk, bubbly, nimble, agile, perky, chirpy (informal), sparky, sprightly, vivacious, frisky, gay, alive and kicking, spry, chipper (informal), blithe, full of beans (informal), frolicsome, full of pep (informal), blithesome, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed She had a sweet, lively personality.
animated slow, dull, lifeless, inactive, apathetic, listless, torpid

2. busy, crowded, stirring, buzzing, bustling, moving, eventful lively streets full of bars and cafés
busy slow, dull

3. vivid, strong, striking, bright, exciting, stimulating, bold, colourful, refreshing, forceful, racy, invigorating toys made with bright and lively colours
vivid dull

4. enthusiastic, strong, keen, stimulating, eager, formidable, vigorous, animated, weighty The newspapers showed a lively interest in European developments.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

lively

adjective

1. Possessing, exerting, or displaying energy:

active, brisk, dynamic, dynamical, energetic, forceful, kinetic, sprightly, strenuous, vigorous.

Informal: peppy.

2. Very brisk, alert, and full of high spirits:

animated, bouncy, chipper, dashing, high-spirited, pert, spirited, vivacious.

Informal: peppy.

Idioms: bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, full of life.

3. Disposed to action:

active, brisk, driving, dynamic, dynamical, energetic, enterprising, peppy, sprightly, spry, vigorous, zippy.

Informal: snappy.

Translations

حَيَوي، مُفْعَم بالحَياهنَشيِطٌ

energickýříznýživý

livliglevende

lebhaft munter quirlig schwungvoll ausgelassen

γλαφυρός ζωηρός

alegre vivo animado brioso vivaz

eloisa

animé animée éveillé gaiementgaiment

živahan

élénkeleven

líflegur, fjörugur

vivace vivo allegro animato briosa

元気のよい

활기찬

živahen

livlig

มีชีวิตชีวา

canlı hareketli

sống động

活泼的活跃的真实的栩栩如生的

lively

[ˈlaɪvlɪ] ADJ (livelier (compar) (liveliest (superl)))

1. (gen) [person, personality] → vivaz, alegre; [atmosphere, conversation, party, town] → animado; [bar, street, market] → animado, bullicioso; [dog] → juguetón; [tune] → alegre; [performance] → enérgico
things are a little livelier in June → la cosa se anima más en junio

2. (= heated) [debate, discussion] → animado
the meeting promises to be a lively affair → la reunión promete ser animada
things were getting quite lively → el ambiente se estaba caldeando

3. (= fast) [pace, speed] → rápido
look lively! → ¡espabila!

4. (= keen) [mind] → vivaz, inquieto; [imagination] → vivo; [sense of humour] → agudo
she took a lively interest in everything → ponía un gran interés en todo

5. (= vivid) [description, account, style] → vivo, vívido

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

lively

[ˈlaɪvli] adj

[person] → vif(vive)
She's got a lively personality
BUT Elle est pleine de vitalité.

[event, discussion] → animé(e)
It was a lively party → C'était une soirée animée.

to take a lively interest in sth → s'intéresser vivement à qch

liven up

[ˌlaɪv^ənˈʌp]

vt sep

[+ room] → égayer

[+ discussion, evening] → animer

[+ person] → animer

vi (= become more animated) [person, area, restaurant] → s'animer

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

lively

adj (+er) → lebhaft; scene, account, sense of humour → lebendig; campaign → dynamisch; pace → flott; mind → wach, aufgeweckt; imagination → lebendig, blühend; tune → schwungvoll; things are getting lively → es geht hoch her (inf); at 8 things will start to get lively → um 8 wird es dann lebhafter; we had a lively time → es war viel los (inf); he’s having a lively time of it in his new job → in seiner neuen Stelle kann er sich über Langeweile nicht beklagen; look lively! (= speed up) → mach schnell!, ein bisschen lebhaft, bitte!

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

lively

[ˈlaɪvlɪ] adj (-ier (comp) (-iest (superl))) (gen) → vivace, vivo/a; (imagination) → fervido/a; (conversation, argument) → animato/a; (interest) → vivo/a; (party, scene) → movimentato/a; (pace) → sostenuto/a
things are getting lively → l'ambiente or l'atmosfera comincia a scaldarsi

live²

(laiv) adjective

1. having life; not dead. a live mouse.

2. (of a radio or television broadcast etc) heard or seen as the event takes place; not recorded. I watched a live performance of my favourite opera on television; Was the performance live or recorded?

3. full of energy, and capable of becoming active. a live bomb

4. burning. a live coal.

adverb

(of a radio or television broadcast etc) as the event takes place. The competition will be broadcast live.

ˈlively adjective

active; full of life, high spirits or movement. She took a lively interest in us; The music is bright and lively.

ˈliveliness noun

ˈlivestock noun

domestic animals, especially horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs.

live wire

1. a wire charged with electricity.

2. a person who is full of energy and enthusiasm. He is very quiet, but his sister is a real live wire.

lively

→ نَشيِطٌ energický livlig lebhaft ζωηρός animado eloisa animé živahan animato 元気のよい 활기찬 levendig livlig pełen życia animado деятельный livlig มีชีวิตชีวา canlı sống động 活泼的

lively

a. vivo-a; vivaracho-a, animado-a.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

{zeta omega rho omicron tau epsilon rho omicron nu / delta epsilon / kappa epsilon rho alpha iota epsilon}, 'mix the drink livelier,' does not mean `mix it stronger' as for hard drinkers, but 'mix it quicker.'

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"It will be all the livelier with two expeditions after the same golden idol," remarked Ned.

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I recognized, as I looked at the pair of short, thick oars, quite safely drawn up, the prodigious character of the feat for a little girl; but I had lived, by this time, too long among wonders and had panted to too many livelier measures.

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But the dull country town was tiresome to him, since his acquaintanceship with livelier regions, and it grew daily more and more so.

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Sydney was none the livelier and none the soberer for so much application.

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The sole and undivided responsibility of one man will naturally beget a livelier sense of duty and a more exact regard to reputation.

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The trees impending over it had flung down great branches from time to time, which choked up the current, and compelled it to form eddies and black depths at some points; while, in its swifter and livelier passages there appeared a channel-way of pebbles, and brown, sparkling sand.

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A good deal of firewood had been got in, but not enough for the captain's fancy, and he shook his head over it and told us we "must get back to this tomorrow rather livelier." Then, when we had eaten our pork and each had a good stiff glass of brandy grog, the three chiefs got together in a corner to discuss our prospects.

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There it would have stood solitary, or with no livelier companion than the silent organ, in the opposite gallery, six days out of seven.

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Nevertheless, since the inward debate necessarily turned on Dorothea, he ended, as he had done before, only by getting a livelier sense of what her presence would be to him; and suddenly reflecting that the morrow would be Sunday, he determined to go to Lowick Church and see her.

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This brought livelier urgings and encouragements from Skipper, and made him almost frantic.

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Month by month things were stepping livelier, but to what goal?

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