bonny

or bon·nie

[ bon-ee ]

adjective

, bon·ni·er, bon·ni·est.

1. Chiefly Scot. pleasing to the eye; handsome; pretty.
2. British Dialect.
   1. (of people) healthy, sweet, and lively.
   2. (of places) placid; tranquil.
   3. pleasing; agreeable; good.

adverb

1. British Dialect. pleasingly; agreeably; very well.

noun

1. Scot. and North England Archaic. a pretty girl or young woman.

Bonny

¹

/ ˈbɒnɪ /

noun

1. Bight of Bonny
   a wide bay at the E end of the Gulf of Guinea off the coasts of Nigeria and Cameroon Former name (until 1975)Bight of Biafra

bonny

²

/ ˈbɒnɪ /

adjective

1. dialect.
   beautiful or handsome

   a bonny lass

2. merry or lively

   a bonny family

3. good or fine

   a bonny house

4. (esp of babies) plump
5. dialect.
   considerable; to be reckoned with

   cost a bonny penny

adverb

1. informal.
   agreeably or well

   to speak bonny

Derived Forms

• ˈbonnily, adverb

Other Words From

• bonni·ly adverb
• bonni·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bonny¹

1425–75; late Middle English ( Scots ) bonie, perhaps < Old French bon good + -ie -y ¹, perhaps by analogy with jolie jolly

Word History and Origins

Origin of bonny¹

C15: of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old French bon good, from Latin bonus

Example Sentences

They added: "A sad loss at such a young age. RIP Dale. Sleep well bonny lad."

From BBC

I would show that con man Donny a bravery so bonny, no longer would I serve!

From Washington Post

“Not a bit, and you never will. You’ve grown bigger and bonnier, but you are the same scapegrace as ever.”

From Literature

“Not at all—it bears the most gracious message in the world: for the rest, you are not my conscience-keeper, so don’t make yourself uneasy. Here, come in, bonny wanderer!”

From Literature

On behalf of his family, his uncle Ken Mullen said he had been a “bonny lad” who “always had a smile and cheeky grin when talking to you and was a great source of one-liners”.

From BBC