Meaning & use
lovable
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Having qualities that naturally make people feel affection or want to love the person or animal.
Grammar: Often graded with more or most; more common for people and animals than for objects.
Patterns
- a lovable character
- lovable personality
- instantly lovable
The puppy was scruffy, clumsy, and completely lovable.
She wrote a lovable character who makes mistakes but keeps trying.
Word forms
| comparative | more lovable |
|---|---|
| superlative | most lovable |
Common combinations
- lovable character
- A lovable character can carry a whole television series.
- lovable rogue
- He played a lovable rogue who cheats at cards but helps his friends.
- instantly lovable
- The rescued goat was instantly lovable despite its loud bleating.
Synonyms and how they differ
- adorable
- Stronger and often cuter; suggests delight as well as affection.
- endearing
- Describes small faults or habits that make affection grow over time.
- likable
- Weaker and more general: pleasant to be around, not necessarily loved.
- winsome
- A literary word for charming in an innocent way; less common in everyday speech.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: lovable or lovely? lovable or likable?
lovable vs lovely
Lovely means pleasant, beautiful, or enjoyable; lovable means easy to feel love for.
lovable vs likable
Likable is about being pleasant company; lovable suggests deeper affection.
Practice
Choose the best word: “The old dog was so ____ that everyone at the shelter wanted to adopt him.”
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a positive adjective meaning easy to love, so lovable fits. Loutish is rude, loose means not tight, and louvre is a slat or museum spelling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lovable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.