List of Adjectives ending in -ly

While most adjectives end in -y or -ful, a smaller and often confusing group ends in -ly. These adjectives add variety and precision to descriptions, helping writers express subtle shades of meaning in their sentences.

Adjective	Sentence example
friendly	The friendly barista remembered my order.
lovely	What a lovely surprise to see you here.
lively	The band kept a lively pace all night.
lonely	He felt lonely in the big city.
homely	The cabin had a homely charm.
comely	The painter captured her comely features.
stately	Peacocks strutted across the stately lawn.
shapely	The vase had a shapely silhouette.
manly	He spoke in a deep, manly voice.
womanly	Her womanly wisdom guided the team.
motherly	She gave me a motherly hug.
fatherly	His fatherly advice was gentle but firm.
sisterly	She offered sisterly support.
brotherly	There was brotherly affection between them.
elderly	The elderly couple held hands.
kindly	The kindly neighbor shoveled our walkway.
kingly	He wore a kingly robe.
queenly	She moved with queenly grace.
princely	They made a princely donation.
saintly	Her patience was almost saintly.
ghostly	A ghostly mist rose from the marsh.
ghastly	We gasped at the ghastly wound.
grisly	The detective described a grisly scene.
gristly	The steak was tough and gristly.
beastly	That was a beastly storm.
worldly	He has a worldly perspective.
otherworldly	The music had an otherworldly beauty.
unworldly	She had an unworldly innocence.
scholarly	His scholarly tone impressed the panel.
soldierly	The guard kept soldierly discipline.
masterly	The pianist gave a masterly performance.
miserly	Don’t be miserly with compliments.
neighborly	We exchanged neighborly greetings.
orderly	Please keep the files orderly.
cowardly	It was a cowardly act.
deadly	The snake carries deadly venom.
costly	A costly mistake sank the deal.
timely	Your timely email saved the project.
early	We caught an early train.
hourly	The ferry runs on an hourly schedule.
daily	I follow a daily routine.
weekly	We publish a weekly newsletter.
monthly	The monthly report is due Friday.
yearly	This is our yearly retreat.
quarterly	The quarterly earnings exceeded expectations.
likely	Rain is likely this evening.
unlikely	A comeback seems unlikely now.
lowly	He started in a lowly position.
holy	The shrine is holy to many.
jolly	She was in a jolly mood.
silly	That’s a silly hat.
wily	The fox is wily and quick.
curly	He has curly hair.
burly	A burly guard stood by the door.
surly	The clerk gave a surly reply.
sickly	The plant looked sickly after the frost.
sprightly	The sprightly dancer leaped across the stage.
sightly	It’s a sightly cottage by the lake.
unsightly	The stain was unsightly on white fabric.
prickly	The cactus is prickly to the touch.
cuddly	That’s a cuddly teddy bear.
bubbly	Her bubbly laugh filled the room.
sparkly	She wore sparkly shoes to the party.
smelly	The fridge is smelly again.
measly	He offered a measly tip.
rascally	The rascally raccoon raided the bin.
godly	He lived a godly life.
ungodly	We woke at an ungodly hour.
homely	The soup was simple and homely.
friendly	The dog has a friendly nature.
deadly	A deadly silence followed.
pearly	She flashed a pearly smile.
steely	He gave a steely stare.
oily	An oily sheen covered the water.
scaly	The lizard has scaly skin.
ugly	That was an ugly argument.
unseemly	His behavior was unseemly in court.
ruly	The crowd was surprisingly ruly.
unruly	An unruly class disrupted the lesson.
timely	Your timely reminder helped a lot.
homely	They served homely bread and stew.
courtly	He bowed with courtly manners.
knightly	She admired his knightly valor.
queenly	The host wore a queenly tiara.
writerly	The essay has a writerly polish.
teacherly	He offered teacherly guidance.
soldierly	She kept a soldierly bearing.
beastly	It’s beastly hot today.
princely	They paid a princely sum.
saintly	Her saintly patience never wavered.