livelier; liveliest
1
3
: full of life, movement, or incident
lively streets at carnival time
5
: imparting spirit or vivacity : stimulating
many a peer of England brews livelier liquor than the Muse—
A. E. Housman
A. E. Housman6
: quick to rebound : resilient
a lively ball
7
: responding readily to the helm
a lively boat
8
obsolete
: living
Synonyms
Examples of lively in a Sentence
a very lively writing style
The book is lively and well written.
They had a lively debate.
A lively atmosphere keeps people coming back to the café.
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s lively interplay with Rick Rosato on bass and Jonathan Pinson on drums.
—Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Given its flavor and sensory profiles, Barbera is an ideal selection at lunch, especially as its lively acidity cuts through the fatty qualities of all types of salumi.
—Tom Hyland, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
A touch of neurosis, a lot of laughs and plenty of profound insights could be found at The Hollywood Reporter’s Writer Roundtable, where six scribes who crafted seven of 2024’s top screenplays gathered for a lively conversation in November.
—Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025
Me Da La Gana with lively plena, a Puerto Rican folk call-and-response genre.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for lively 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Given its flavor and sensory profiles, Barbera is an ideal selection at lunch, especially as its lively acidity cuts through the fatty qualities of all types of salumi.
—Tom Hyland, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
A touch of neurosis, a lot of laughs and plenty of profound insights could be found at The Hollywood Reporter’s Writer Roundtable, where six scribes who crafted seven of 2024’s top screenplays gathered for a lively conversation in November.
—Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025
Me Da La Gana with lively plena, a Puerto Rican folk call-and-response genre.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for lively
Dictionary Entries Near lively
Cite this Entry
“Lively.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lively. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lively
adjective
live·ly
ˈlīv-lē 
livelier; liveliest
1
: full of life : active
a lively puppy
2
: keen entry 1 sense 3
a lively interest
3
: full of spirit or feeling
a lively debate
4
: showing activity or spirit
a lively manner
liveliness
noun
lively
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share