NYT Dictionary

COMELY

/ˈkʌmli/
AdjectiveVerbAdverbCOME-lycome-ly · 2 syllablesGrade 7

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2021, 2023

Meaning

Attractive; visually pleasing; good-looking.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

The adjective is derived from Middle English comly, comli, cumly, cumlich (“of a person: beautiful, handsome, etc.; of noble birth, bearing, or character; of behaviour: appropriate, becoming; of an event: convenient; favourable; of a thing: beautiful, wonderful; fitting, proper”), from Old English cymlīċ, cȳmlīċ (“beautiful, comely; splendid; convenient”), from cȳme (“beautiful, comely; splendid; exquisite, fine”) + -līċ (suffix meaning ‘like; relating to’ forming adjectives). Cȳme is derived from Proto-Germanic *kūmiz (“delicate; feeble”), from *kūmalīkaz (“dear; pitiful”), probably related to *kūmaz, *kūmijaz (“pitiful; frail, weak”), from Proto-Indo-European *gewH- (“to call, name; to call on, invoke; to cry, cry out”). The word was influenced by come (verb). The verb is derived from the adjective. Cognates Middle Dutch komelick, komlick Middle High German gomelīh, komelīh

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

pulchritudinousattractivebeauteousbeautifoolbeautifulbeautimousbona varderingbonniebreathtakingcaptivating

Antonyms

homelyuncomelybadbeatbuttersbutt-uglyclappedcoyote uglydeformfuckfaced

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 1 recorded puzzle:

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