The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word EXQUISITE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
E
X
Q
U
I
S
I
T
E
More clues leading to the result EXQUISITE
- Lover once wholly transfixed by island of great beauty
- Lovely flower beds go — is cutting?
- Used to be pretty without being absolutely gorgeous
- Erstwhile lover is encapsulated by ‘pretty beautiful’
- Beautiful old lover, who in Paris is given designated place
- H[AVING] quiet sex, I gather, is delicately refined
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Lovely" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case lovely = exquisite.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EXQUISITE mean?
EXQUISITE noun- Fop, dandy.
- Especially fine or pleasing; exceptional.
- Carefully adjusted; precise; accurate; exact.
- Recherché; far-fetched; abstruse.
- Of special beauty or rare excellence.
- Exceeding; extreme; keen, in a bad or a good sense.
- Of delicate perception or close and accurate discrimination; not easy to satisfy; exact; fastidious.