Language/English/Grammar/Adjectives-ending-in-ly

In English, as many adverbs often end in -ly, adjectives ending in -ly can easily get mistaken for adverbs. This article aims to provide a comprehensive list of such adjectives, helping you to better understand and master the use of these unique words. In the list below, you will find many adjectives ending in -ly (a few of them can be both adjectives and adverbs).

As a general rule, words deriving from [adjective] + -ly are adverbs, while words deriving from [noun] + -ly are adjectives.

So, let's dive into the world of "-ly" adjectives! 📚

After exploring this lesson, you may also find it helpful to consult other related pages, just to name a few, such as Although vs. Even though, Tips for Using Adjectives, and Common Mistakes with 'What' and 'That'.

List of adjectives ending in -ly

A

• authorly
• accidentally
• angrily

B

• beastly
• bodily
• bristly
• brotherly
• bubbly
• burly

C

• chilly
• comely
• costly
• courtly
• cowardly
• Crassly
• crinkly
• crumbly
• cuddly
• curly

D

• daily (Can also be an adverb)
• dastardly
• deadly
• deathly
• disorderly

E

• early
• earthly
• easterly
• elderly

F

• fatherly
• fortnightly (Can also be an adverb)
• friendly
• frilly

G

• gangly
• gentlemanly
• ghastly
• ghostly
• giggly
• godly
• goodly
• gravelly
• Greatly
• grisly

H

• heavenly
• hilly
• holy
• homely
• hourly
• housekeeperly
• humanly
• husbandly

J

• jolly

K

• kindly
• kingly
• Kingly

L

• leisurely
• likely
• lively
• logically
• lonely
• lovely
• lowly
• luckily

M

• maidenly
• manly
• mannerly
• masterly
• matronly
• mealy
• measly
• melancholy
• miserly
• monthly (Can also be an adverb)
• motherly

N

• neighbourly
• nightly
• north easterly
• northerly
• north-westerly

O

• oily
• only
• orderly
• otherworldly

P

• painterly
• pearly
• pebbly
• pimply
• poorly
• Portly
• priestly
• princely
• premeditatedly
• physically

Q

• quarterly
• queenly

R

• rumbly

S

• saintly
• scaly
• scholarly
• shapely
• sickly
• silly
• sisterly
• slatternly
• slovenly
• sly
• smelly
• southerly
• sparkly
• spindly
• sprightly
• squiggly
• stately
• Stately
• steely
• surly
• swiftly (can also be an adverb)

T

• timely
• treacly
• thoughtfully

U

• ugly
• unearthly
• unfriendly
• ungainly
• unlikely
• unruly
• unseemly
• unsightly
• untimely
• unworldly

V

• vastly

W

• weekly (Can also be an adverb)
• westerly
• wifely
• wily
• wobbly
• womanly
• woolly
• worldly
• wriggly
• wrinkly

Y

• yearly (can also be an adverb)

What is an adjective?

An adjective is a word that modifies a noun. Adjectives may come before the word they change.

• Example: "It is a cute dog."

Adjectives may also follow the word they modify:

• Example: "That cat looks nice."

What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word that modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Adverbs answer how, when, where, why, or to what extent—how often or how much (e.g., daily, completely).

• Examples: "He walks slowly" (tells how)

How to change an adjective ending in -ly into an adverb?

Many adverbs are formed from adjectives by adding the ending -ly:

• beautiful becomes beautifully
• bad become badly

However, adjectives ending in -ly cannot be turned into adverbs by adding -ly.

In most cases, the adjective form and adverb form of adjectives ending in "-ly" are the same.

Here are some examples:

• kindly (adjective and adverb)
• lovely (adjective and adverb)
• friendly (adjective and adverb)
• lonely (adjective and adverb)

So, to change an adjective ending in "-ly" into an adverb, you don't need to add or change anything, simply use the same word.

You can also use a different structure like in the example below :

• lovely becomes in a lovely way.

Authors

• m7mdnasser
• _Julitka_

Sources

https://polyglotclub.com/language/english/question/35524

Other Lessons

• Common Mistake What That
• Count noun
• POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
• At: place
• GERUNDS
• On: place
• ADJECTIVES
• How Do Silent Letters Work?
• Difference between Mood Tense Voice
• Adverbs of Degree