Adjectives Ending in -ly
Students are often confused by adjectives that end in -ly because they look like adverbs of manner. Below is a table listing some of the most common -ly adjectives.
| Adjective | Meaning | Example |
| Very High Frequency: | ||
| daily* early* elderly friendly likely lovely unlikely | every day before expected time old pleasant; nice will probably happen wonderful; beautiful probably won’t happen; unpromising | my daily schedule an early lunch an elderly person a friendly lady It’s likely to rain. a lovely evening He’s unlikely to come. |
| High Frequency: | ||
| holy lively lonely monthly* silly ugly weekly* | dedicated to God full of energy/spirit unhappy from being alone once a month not serious or intelligent without beauty once a week | a holy place a lively debate a lonely girl a monthly payment a silly movie an ugly painting a weekly magazine |
| Medium Frequency: | ||
| costly curly deadly unfriendly | expensive; causing problems having curls causing death; lethal not friendly | a costly mistake curly hair a deadly weapon an unfriendly person |
| Low Frequency: | ||
| bimonthly* biweekly* bodily chilly cowardly disorderly easterly ghastly ghostly grisly heavenly hilly homely hourly* jolly kindly leisurely manly measly melancholy miserly nightly* northerly oily orderly quarterly scholarly sly smelly southerly stately surly timely unruly unsightly untimely westerly wobbly woolly yearly* | every two months every two weeks relating to the body somewhat cold without courage; not brave noisy and violent; not neat from/toward the east shockingly repellent; terrible resembling a ghost gruesome relating to heaven(s); beautiful having many hills unattractive each hour/by the hour merry; happy kindhearted/agreeable unhurried; without haste characteristic of a man contemptibly small/meager causing sadness/depression stingy each night from/toward the north greasy neat; tidy/well-behaved four times a year related to academic research cunning; mischievous having an unpleasant odor from/toward the south majestic/dignified rude/bad-tempered/unfriendly at a suitable time; opportune difficult to control unpleasant to look at at a unsuitable time from/toward the west not steady/shaky having/resembling wool each year | a bimonthly magazine a biweekly publication severe bodily injury a chilly night a cowardly act disorderly conduct/room an easterly wind/trip a ghastly tale/movie a ghostly noise a grisly discovery heavenly bodies/music hilly terrain a homely woman hourly reports/wages a jolly Christmas a kindly benefactor a leisurely stroll a manly voice a measly salary a melancholy scene a miserly person the nightly news a northerly wind/trip oily fish an orderly room/procession a quarterly report a scholarly journal a sly strategy/smile smelly socks a southerly wind/trip a stately mansion a surly waiter in a timely manner an unruly teenager/tongue an unsightly appearance his untimely death a westerly wind/trip a wobbly table a woolly mammoth a yearly medical exam |