What does beautifully mean?
Beautifully is an adverb formed from the adjective 'beautiful' by adding the suffix '-ly'. Its primary sense describes doing something in a way that is beautiful or highly pleasing: a room may be beautifully decorated, a melody beautifully sung, a meal beautifully presented. A second, very common sense extends beyond physical attractiveness to mean 'very well' or 'with excellent results', as when a plan works beautifully or a machine runs beautifully. In this use the word conveys admiration for skill and effectiveness rather than visual appeal. Beautifully frequently modifies past participles used as adjectives — beautifully written, beautifully crafted, beautifully preserved — making it a staple of reviews and descriptive prose. It carries a strongly positive connotation and fits comfortably in both formal and informal registers. Derived ultimately from Old French 'beauté' and Latin 'bellus' (pretty, charming), it belongs to a family that includes beauty, beautify, and beauteous.
adverbIn a beautiful manner; in a way that gives great pleasure to the senses or mind. Also used to mean very well or skilfully, as in 'beautifully done'.
- In a manner that is beautiful; attractively or pleasingly.
- Very well; excellently or skilfully (e.g. 'the plan worked beautifully').
"The garden was beautifully laid out, with roses climbing over every arch."
"She played the sonata beautifully, drawing hushed applause from the audience."
"The scheme worked beautifully, saving the team weeks of effort."
The suffix '-ly' does double duty in English: it can turn a noun into an adjective (friend → friendly) or an adjective into an adverb (beautiful → beautifully) — and 'beautifully' shows off the second trick.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of beautifully
Beautifully derives from 'beautiful', which combines Middle English 'beaute' (from Old French 'beauté', from Vulgar Latin 'bellitas', from Latin 'bellus', meaning pretty or charming) with the suffix '-ful'. The adverb was formed by adding '-ly' to 'beautiful'. Cognates and relatives include beauty, beauteous, and beautify, all tracing back to the same Latin root 'bellus'.
Related word forms
How beautifully is actually used
Neutral register, suitable for both formal and informal contexts. The extended sense meaning 'very well' or 'successfully' is common in British and American English alike ('that worked beautifully'). As an adverb of manner it typically modifies verbs, but it also appears before participial adjectives ('a beautifully written novel').
Easily confused with beautifully
'Beautiful' is an adjective describing a noun (a beautiful painting), while 'beautifully' is an adverb describing how an action is performed or the manner of something (she sings beautifully).