Meaning of lively in English

lively

adjective

/ˈlaɪv.li/ us

/ˈlaɪv.li/

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full of energy and enthusiasm; interesting and exciting :

It's hard work teaching a class of lively children.

a lively city

They take a lively interest in their grandchildren.

There was some lively discussion at the meeting.

(of colours) bright and strong:

The room was painted a lively electric blue.

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These debates have made a successful series, mostly because of well-chosen speakers and lively topics.
Angela's so cheerful and lively - she's like a breath of fresh air when she visits.
There were lively New Year celebrations all over town.
The party was certainly lively.
We had a lively discussion.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Energetic and lively

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

The qualities of colour

Related word

liveliness

(Definition of lively from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

lively | American Dictionary

lively

adjective

/ˈlɑɪv·li/

Add to word list Add to word list

having or showing a lot of energy and enthusiasm, or showing interesting and exciting thought:

We have a lively group of seniors who meet to discuss the books they’ve read.

Imelda takes a lively interest in politics.

liveliness

noun [ U ] us

/ˈlɑɪv·li·nəs/

(Definition of lively from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of lively

lively

Much has changed in developmental psychology over the last decade and, not least, it has become one of the livelier areas of psychology.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Not only "less guarded" words but "livelier shapes" enhance the fancy-work of refashioning individual patriots and collective dreams.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I regard those efforts with the liveliest interest and sympathy.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

One of the liveliest issues of contemporary education is that of four year olds in school.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Dancers are undoubtedly amongst the fittest and liveliest of their generation, and they are certainly not feigning their agility on the dance floor.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The sections that follow represent an attempt to examine briefly some of the liveliest areas of debate.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In others, it evokes images of spatial concentration - quality living within existing urban areas and in a much denser and livelier manner.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If not soul-mates, they were always style-mates; and the fierce trenchancy that characterises literary life at its liveliest, in a polemical age, never found finer exponents.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Significantly, singers often interpreted songs which might have been capable of livelier rendition in a way so as to express and engender rather more tender emotions.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Our fifth year has in many ways been our liveliest year, in which we have covered some of the most significant issues and projects in the language.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Since the justification, it did not transgress on their meaning to assert that the works entailed by 'lively faith' are also conditions.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In the early 1950s there was lively debate among adult educationists about the future roles of the various agencies in the field.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Again, lively and vivid language is best employed for this end.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The former were usually lively and interesting; the latter, almost equally likely to be very dull indeed.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

From the lively discussion, three recurrent themes emerged.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of lively?

Translations of lively

in Chinese (Traditional)

精力充沛的, 生氣勃勃的, 活躍的…

Meaning of lively in English

Related word

lively | American Dictionary

liveliness

Examples of lively

Translations of lively

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