different between lively vs genial

English

Pronunciation

• (General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?la?vli/

Etymology 1

From Middle English lyvely, lifly, from Old English l?fl?? (“living, lively, long-lived, necessary to life, vital”), equivalent to life +? -ly. Cognate with Scots lively, lifely (“of or pertaining to life, vital, living, life-like”). Doublet of lifely.

Alternative forms

• lifely (obsolete)

Adjective

lively (comparative livelier, superlative liveliest)

1. Full of life; energetic.
2. Bright, glowing, vivid; strong, vigorous.
   • 1704, Isaac Newton, Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections and Colours of Light

     The colours of the prism are manifestly more full, intense, and lively that those of natural bodies.

   • 1688, Robert South, Sacramental Preparation: Set forth in a Sermon on Matthew 5, 12.

     His faith must be not only living, but lively too.

3. (archaic) Endowed with or manifesting life; living.
   • c. 1600, Philemon Holland

     chaplets of gold and silver resembling lively flowers and leaves

4. (archaic) Representing life; lifelike.
   • 1632, Philip Massinger and Nathan Field, The Fatal Dowry

     I spied the lively picture of my father.

5. (archaic) Airy; animated; spirited.
6. (of beer) Fizzy; foamy; tending to produce a large head in the glass.

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "lively" is often applied: person, character, lady, woman, man, audience, personality, art, guide, activity, game, lesson, introduction, discussion, debate, writing, image, town, city, village, etc.

Synonyms

• (full of life): frisky, peppy, zestful; see also Thesaurus:active
• (vivid, strong, vigorous): intense
• (endowed with or manifesting life): extant, live, vital; see also Thesaurus:alive
• (representing life): lifey, limned, naturalistic,
• (fizzy, foamy): frothy, spumescent

Derived terms

• liveliness
• look lively

Translations

Noun

lively (plural livelies)

1. (nautical, informal) Term of address.
   • 1846, Herman Melville, Typee

     Speak the word, my livelies, and I'll pilot her in.

Etymology 2

From Middle English lyvely, lifly, from Old English l?fl??e, equivalent to life +? -ly.

Adverb

lively (comparative more lively, superlative most lively)

1. Vigorously.
2. Vibrantly, vividly.
3. (obsolete) In a lifelike manner.
   • , Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.220-1:

     the Painter Protogenes […] having perfected the image of a wearie and panting dog, […] but being unable, as he desired, lively to represent the drivel or slaver of his mouth, vexed against his owne worke, took his spunge, and moist as it was with divers colours, threw it at the picture  […].

Translations

Anagrams

• evilly, vilely

English

Etymology 1

From Middle French génial, from Latin geni?lis (“of or pertaining to marriage; festive, genial”), from genius (“guardian spirit”) + -?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d?i?n??l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?d?inj?l/, /-ni.?l/
• Hyphenation: ge?ni?al

Adjective

genial (comparative more genial, superlative most genial)

1. Friendly and cheerful.
2. (especially of weather) Pleasantly mild and warm.
3. Marked by genius.
   • 1826, Julius Hare, Guesses at Truth by Two Brothers

     Men of genius have so often attacht the highest value to their less genial works.

   • 2003, Laura Fermi, Gilberto Bernardini, Galileo and the Scientific Revolution, Courier Dover Publications, page 111 [1]:

     About fifty years later, in 1675, the Danish astronomer Ole Roemer (1644-1710) had the genial idea of using astronomical rather than terrestrial distances.

4. (archaic) Contributing to, or concerned in, propagation or production; generative; procreative; productive.
   • Creator Venus, genial power of love.

5. (obsolete) Belonging to one's genius or natural character; native; natural; inborn.

Derived terms

• congenial

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek ??????? (géneion, “chin”) + -al.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d???n???l/, /-?ni??l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d???na??l/, /-?ni.?l/
• Hyphenation: ge?ni?al

Adjective

genial (not comparable)

1. (anatomy) Relating to the chin; genian.

Anagrams

• Eaglin, Ealing, igneal, linage

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin geni?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /??.ni?al/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /d??e.ni?al/

Adjective

genial (masculine and feminine plural genials)

1. genius
2. brilliant, great

Derived terms

• genialment

Related terms

• geni
• genialitat

Further reading

• “genial” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

German

Etymology

Shortening of earlier genialisch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?ni?a?l/
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

genial (comparative genialer, superlative am genialsten)

1. genius, ingenious, genial (in the sense of genius)
2. (colloquial) excellent

   Synonyms: klasse, hervorragend

Declension

Derived terms

• kongenial

Further reading

• “genial” in Duden online

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin genialis

Adjective

genial (neuter singular genialt, definite singular and plural geniale)

1. ingenious, brilliant

Related terms

• geni

References

• “genial” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin genialis

Adjective

genial (neuter singular genialt, definite singular and plural geniale)

1. ingenious, brilliant

Related terms

• geni

References

• “genial” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Adjective

genial m or f (plural geniais, comparable)

1. genial (marked by genius)
2. genius (very clever)

Romanian

Etymology

From French génial.

Adjective

genial m or n (feminine singular genial?, masculine plural geniali, feminine and neuter plural geniale)

1. (literally) ingenious, characteristic of a genius
2. (informal) great, fantastic, awesome

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin geni?lis (“of or relating to marriage; festive, genial”), from genius (“guardian spirit”) + -?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xe?njal/, [xe?njal]

Adjective

genial (plural geniales)

1. great, cool, neat

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:guay

2. splendid, gorgeous

   Synonym: espléndido

3. ingenious

   Synonym: ingenioso

4. genial, pleasant

Derived terms

• genialmente

Related terms

• genialidad
• genio

Further reading

• “genial” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.