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If you abhor something, you dislike it very much, usually because you think it’s immoral.
If you abominate something, you hate it because you think it is extremely wrong and unacceptable.
To accentuate something is to emphasize it or make it more noticeable.
Something austere is simple and plain in its style; an austere person is strict and severe with themselves.
Someone who has a bilious personality is highly irritable and bad-tempered.
When you are captivated by someone or something, you are enchanted, fascinated, or delighted by them or it.
If you say a person’s actions are despicable, you think they are extremely unpleasant or nasty.
If something enthralls you, it makes you so interested and excited that you give it all your attention.
If you are experiencing felicity about something, you are very happy about it.
Something grotesque is so distorted or misshapen that it is disturbing, bizarre, gross, or very ugly.
If you describe something as heinous, you mean that is extremely evil, shocking, and bad.
Something loathsome is offensive, disgusting, and brings about intense dislike.
When something is luminous, it is bright and glowing.
Something macabre is so gruesome or frightening that it causes great horror in those who see it.
If something mesmerizes you, it attracts or holds your interest so much that you do not pay attention to anything else.
Something that is piquant is interesting and exciting; food that is piquant is pleasantly spicy.
Animals preen when they smooth out their fur or their feathers; humans preen by making themselves beautiful in front of a mirror.
When you possess pulchritude, you are beautiful.
If you rebuff someone, you give an unfriendly answer to a suggestion or offer of help; you hastily turn that person away.
Repugnance is a strong feeling of dislike for something or someone you find horrible and offensive.
Something that is repulsive is offensive, highly unpleasant, or just plain disgusting.
People or things that are resplendent are beautiful, bright, and impressive in appearance.
When you experience revulsion, you feel a great deal of disgust or extreme dislike for something.
A scintillating conversation, speech, or performance is brilliantly clever, interesting, and lively.
Something that is tantalizing is desirable and exciting; nevertheless, it may be out of reach, perhaps due to being too expensive.
Something is toothsome when it is tasty, attractive, or pleasing in some way; this adjective can apply to food, people, or objects.
Something that is unadorned is not made more attractive with ornament or decoration.
Someone who is unassuming is not boastful or arrogant; rather, they are modest or humble.
Something or someone that is unprepossessing is not impressive or is unattractive.
An unsightly person presents an ugly, unattractive, or disagreeable face to the world.
Something vile is evil, very unpleasant, horrible, or extremely bad.
Someone who is winsome is attractive and charming.
Adj.
comely
KUHM-lee
Context
Carol’s father hosted a dance in honor of Carol’s sixteenth birthday, and everyone noticed how beautiful and comely she looked in her new gown. With her light-brown curls and dark eyes, Carol was considered the most attractive and comely girl in her class at school. Her comely and appealing appearance was enhanced by her warm, engaging smile.
Quiz:Try again!
Why might someone be described as comely?
Come Hither, Lioness The lion was so taken by the comeliness of the lioness that he uncontrollably roared, "Come hither!" whenever he saw her.
Examples
Politicians are, obviously, under no obligation to be comely—male ones, anyway. Still, starting with the Kennedy presidency — the first in American history to be fully televised — it has never hurt any candidate’s prospects to be conventionally good-looking.
—
The New York Times
The movie opens with a spot-on sendup of an animated fairy tale—these are, after all, the people who invented the template—in which Giselle (Amy Adams), a comely redhead who lives with her animal friends in the kingdom of Andalasia, pines for the day her prince will come.
—
The Atlantic
Her comely, mercurial mother mocked her desire to be a poet, telling her that “everything written in books is a lie.”
—
The New York Times
Word Ingredients
From a root word meaning “beautiful.”
origin: Old English
Knowing language of origin or etymology is not important; but is sometimes interesting enough to make the word memorable. Only such words have associated maps.
