0
Tenacious Learner Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Lovely vs wonderful

Hi teachers,
I've read that both 'wonderful' and 'lovely' mean the same, and that a synonym for them could be 'fantastic'.
Is it true that 'lovely' is the most frequent in spoken British English, but in North American English 'wondeful' is the most frequent, both spoken and written.

Thanks in advance.
  

Top answer

Lovely is used differently in America from how it is used in Britain. In Britain, it is indeed often used as a synonym of wonderful, especially in exclamations, as is the word brilliant. In America, lovely is not used that way.

— Elanguest

  • Lovely is used differently in America from how it is used in Britain.
  • In Britain, it is indeed often used as a synonym of wonderful, especially in exclamations, as is the word brilliant.
  • In America, lovely is not used that way.
  • It is used more in the sense of something fine, gracious, or sweet.
  • It's so lovely walking in the woods at this time of year, She is a lovely person, etc.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

13 Answers
0
Lovely is used differently in America from how it is used in Britain. In Britain, it is indeed often used as a synonym of wonderful, especially in exclamations, as is the word brilliant. In America, lovely is not used that way. It is used more in the sense of something fine, gracious, or sweet. It's so lovely walking in the woods at this time of year, She is a lovely
0
0
Tenacious LearnerI've read that both 'wonderful' and 'lovely' mean the same
They aren't at all the same to me. An exciting movie can be wonderful. A woman's dress may be lovely. 'wonderful' strikes me as a word that shows appreciation for something more outstanding, exciting, memorable, and active. 'lovely' strikes me as a word that shows appreciation for
0
0
Hi,
Thanks for both of your replies.
So, 'lovely' hints more at words like 'marvelous; enjoyable', doesn't it?

TL
0
0
Tenacious LearnerSo, 'lovely' hints more at words like 'marvelous; enjoyable', doesn't it?
http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lovely

I tend to use 'lovely' and to hear it more often as shown in definition 2 in the link above.

CJ
0
0
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your reply.
Would that definition work for these sentences too?
a) It's a lovely evening.
b) It's lovely at this time of the year.

TL
0
0
Tenacious LearnerWould that definition work for these sentences too?
Yes, particularly one of the synonyms given in the list. pleasant is the closest synonym that fits those sentences, and it fits very well. To my ear, the two words suggest almost exactly the same idea.

It's a [lovely / pleasant] evening.
It's [lovely / pleasant
0
0
Hi Jim,
Thanks a lot for your help! Crystal clear! By the way, I've learnt 'crystal clear' from you.Emotion: smile

TL
0
0
Tenacious LearnerBy the way, I've learnt 'crystal clear' from you.
Yes, I know. But have I taught you its opposite? Clear as mud.
0
0
A good topic! I'm subscribing to it!
0
0
Just a couple of thoughts on this discussion. I think it may be a bit too easy to say that "lovely" and "wonderful" have the same meaning. In some ways they can be casually used interchangeably but as CJ explained, not always.
I had a lovely time tonight
I had a lovely/ wonderful time. Both are ok.

You have a lovely home - Fine
You have a wonderful home - it works but not comm
0

Related Questions