pretty 1 of 3

pretty

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adjective

1
as in nice
giving pleasure or contentment to the mind or senses she was not a pretty sight after she fell off her horse and into the mud

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

pretty

3 of 3

noun

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a pretty picture
a cute picture
a gorgeous picture
a beautiful picture
a lovely picture
a fabulous picture
a pretty place
a stunning place
a picturesque place
a scenic place
an aesthetic place
a gorgeous place
a pretty dress
a stylish dress
an adorable dress
a fabulous dress
a fashionable dress
a great dress
a pretty name
a lovely name
a neat name
a wonderful name
a pleasant name
a nice name

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective pretty differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of pretty are beautiful, comely, fair, handsome, and lovely. While all these words mean "exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure," pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness.

a painter of conventionally pretty scenes

When is beautiful a more appropriate choice than pretty?

The words beautiful and pretty can be used in similar contexts, but beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

beautiful mountain scenery

How do comely and handsome relate to one another, in the sense of pretty?

Comely is like handsome in suggesting what is coolly approved rather than emotionally responded to.

the comely grace of a dancer

Where would fair be a reasonable alternative to pretty?

In some situations, the words fair and pretty are roughly equivalent. However, fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

fair of face

When might handsome be a better fit than pretty?

While in some cases nearly identical to pretty, handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

a handsome Georgian mansion

How are the words lovely and beautiful related as synonyms of pretty?

Lovely is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite.

a lovely melody

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pretty
Adverb
If the Panthers add a veteran post safety like Julian Blackmon in the coming weeks, the safety room could look pretty good come mandatory minicamp. Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2025 That was pretty much the only blemish on Buehler’s day. Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
If the way to Mom’s heart is through her sweet tooth, this box of 20 pastel-perfect macarons from the iconic Parisian bakery is a treat almost too pretty to eat. Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 25 Apr. 2025 Madrid Santa Barbara’s Spanish architectural details—cream stucco walls, red-tiled roofs, and pretty arches—are striking. Chelsee Lowe, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
From Saturday, March 1, to Saturday, April 12, 2025 pretty Venus goes retrograde. Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, 28 Feb. 2025 Aimée and Trintignant are movie-star pretty, but Lelouch’s style gives them both a weighty humanity, as do their performances. Carmel Dagan, Variety, 18 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for pretty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretty
Adverb
  • Details on the agreement still remain relatively unknown, though recent reporting by Bloomberg has suggested the U.S. has eased back its demands for repayment for its aid in Ukraine’s fight against Russia from $300 billion to $100 billion.
    Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Ford and Honda have relatively low exposure to the tariffs.
    Morgan Korn, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Ice is not nice The ice at American Airlines Center was a huge problem in Game 2, with players on both teams falling down left and right.
    Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
  • It’s made of a tarp-like material that feels pretty durable and the lid zippers, which is nice to contain smells.
    Sara Coughlin, SELF, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Midsize electric grills suitable for indoor/outdoor use are generally between 26-34 inches wide and can fit at least 10 burgers at a time.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025
  • This intelligent filtering ensures that only the most suitable candidates proceed to interviews, significantly accelerating recruitment cycles and reducing biases. 4.
    Tarun Eldho Alias, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Set on the rugged and beautiful south Kona coast, this place of refuge was a safe haven for those who broke the kapu or sacred laws, transgressions punishable by death in old Hawaii.
    Ben Davidson, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2025
  • What technologies can be employed to make beautiful, lightweight, yet resilient gold jewelry?
    Kyle Roderick, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • David Hockney is a good looker.
    Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2025
  • New battery technology aside, the keyboard is quite a looker.
    Zackery Cuevas, PCMAG, 7 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • But by the end of the 19th century, the industrial social-economic order that tariffs helped foster were quite different from what earlier protectionists had promised.
    Made by History, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
  • When asked about it in his pre-match press conference, Silva, quite fairly, dismissed its relevance in strong terms.
    Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Most of the week should be pleasant in the Baltimore area, with temperatures hovering in the upper 70s and low 80s before a chance of showers into the weekend.
    Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025
  • On bord, the Norse flight attendants were pleasant and service was frequent.
    Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • There is no one right way to teach literacy in a developmentally appropriate, balanced literacy framework.
    K. Dara Hill, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2025
  • The agency publicly announces the results of operations when appropriate.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pretty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretty. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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