enchantingly

IPA/ɪnˈtʃɑːntɪŋli/
IPA/ɪnˈtʃæntɪŋli/

enchantingly — adverb

1. used to describe an action, sound, manner, or appearance that makes you feel gre

1.adverbB2
Definition

used to describe an action, sound, manner, or appearance that makes you feel great pleasure or attraction

Example

Yuki sang enchantingly, and the audience sat in complete silence until the final note.

adverb before verb: sang enchantingly

The old garden looked enchantingly beautiful in the soft light of early morning.

adverb modifying adjective: enchantingly beautiful

Common collocations
  • enchantingly beautiful
  • enchantingly lit
  • enchantingly sung
  • enchantingly told
  • smile enchantingly
  • sing enchantingly
Synonyms
  • charmingly

    more neutral and everyday; less intense than enchantingly

  • delightfully

    focuses on simple pleasure rather than magical appeal

  • captivatingly

    emphasizes holding someone's full attention

Antonyms
  • repulsively

    opposite effect — causing strong dislike rather than attraction

  • dully

    suggests a lack of interest or charm

Usage Note

Enchantingly is an adverb, not an adjective. It modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb — for example, 'sing enchantingly' or 'enchantingly beautiful'. If you need to describe a noun, use the adjective form 'enchanting' instead.

Common Mistakes

She gave him an enchantingly smile.
She gave him an enchanting smile.
'Enchantingly' is an adverb and cannot describe a noun; use the adjective 'enchanting' before a noun.

enchantingly — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe something that gives pleasure, but they differ in intensity and connotation. Charming is the most common and neutral — it suggests warmth and pleasantness, often in social contexts (a charming host, a charming village). Delightful focuses on simple, straightforward enjoyment (a delightful picnic, a delightful surprise). Captivating emphasizes the power to hold one's attention completely (a captivating performance, a captivating view). Bewitching adds a mysterious, almost magical quality (a bewitching smile), while appealing is the broadest and least intense, simply meaning something is attractive or likeable (an appealing idea, an appealing colour). For everyday use, charming and delightful are the safest choices; enchanting sits between charming and captivating in strength.

charming ↗delightful ↗captivating ↗bewitching ↗appealing ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Enchantingly is formed from the adjective 'enchanting' plus the adverb-forming suffix '-ly'. 'Enchanting' comes from the verb 'enchant', which entered English through Old French 'enchanter', meaning 'to cast a spell on'. The French word traces back to Latin 'incantare' — literally 'to sing a magic spell upon', from 'in-' (upon) and 'cantare' (to sing). The sense of magical charm has gradually softened from literal spell-casting to a figurative meaning of delighting or captivating someone.

First known use

1589

1589, in the meaning defined above