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* every day my daily schedule

early* before expected time an early lunch
elderly old an elderly person
friendly p+leasant; nice a friendly lady
likely will probably happen It's likely to rain.
lovely wonderful; beautiful a lovely evening
unlikely probably won't happen; He's unlikely to come.
unpromising

High Frequency:

holy dedicated to God a holy place

lively full of energy/spirit a lively debate
lonely unhappy from being alone a lonely girl
monthly* once a month a monthly payment
silly not serious or intelligent a silly movie
ugly without beauty an ugly painting
weekly* once a week a weekly magazine

Medium Frequency:

costly expensive; causing problems a costly mistake

curly having curls curly hair
deadly causing death; lethal a deadly weapon
unfriendly not friendly an unfriendly person

Low Frequency:

bimonthly* every two months a bimonthly magazine

biweekly* every two weeks a biweekly publication
bodily relating to the body severe bodily injury
chilly somewhat cold a chilly night
cowardly without courage; not brave a cowardly act
disorderly noisy and violent; not neat disorderly conduct/room
easterly from/toward the east an easterly wind/trip
ghastly shockingly repellent; terrible a ghastly tale/movie
ghostly resembling a ghost a ghostly noise
grisly gruesome a grisly discovery
heavenly relating to heaven(s); heavenly bodies/music
hilly having many hills hilly terrain
homely unattractive a homely woman
hourly* each hour/by the hour hourly reports/wages
jolly merry; happy a jolly Christmas
kindly kindhearted/agreeable a kindly benefactor
leisurely unhurried; without haste a leisurely stroll
manly characteristic of a man a manly voice
measly contemptibly small/meager a measly salary
melancholy causing sadness/depression a melancholy scene
miserly stingy a miserly person
nightly* each night the nightly news
northerly from/toward the north a northerly wind/trip
oily greasy oily fish
orderly neat; tidy/well-behaved an orderly room/procession
quarterly four times a year a quarterly report
scholarly related to academic research a scholarly journal
sly cunning; mischievous a sly strategy/smile
smelly having an unpleasant odor smelly socks
southerly from/toward the south a southerly wind/trip
stately majestic/dignified a stately mansion
surly rude/bad- a surly waiter
timely tempered/unfriendly in a timely manner
unruly at a suitable time; opportune an unruly teenager/tongue
unsightly unpleasant to look at an unsightly appearance
untimely at a unsuitable time his untimely death
westerly from/toward the west a westerly wind/trip
wobbly not steady/shaky a wobbly table
woolly having/resembling wool a woolly mammoth
yearly* each year a yearly medical exam

*These words are also adverbs.