pretty boy

noun

Definition of pretty boynext
1
as in dude
a man extremely interested in his clothing and personal appearance a downtown dance club with lots of pretty boys in attendance

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stud
a physically attractive man as a musical performer, he has yet to prove that he's more than just another pretty boy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 boy Melvin Combs, the dark-skinned, pretty boy with the toothy, megawatt smile, was a co-conspirator in a case that would send some members of his crew to prison for up to 12 years. — Aliya S. King, VIBE.com, 6 Dec. 2025 This was the last time Leo would try to headline a big-budget movie still looking like the pretty boy of Titanic; after this, his next four films were for either Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025 Also, why is arthouse pretty boy Louis Garrel, who portrays the leader of a resistance group known as Breakwalls (That’s seriously their name. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 At Hartford Stage, Rafael Jordan plays Sterling as a smooth-talking pretty boy who seems unwilling to get his hands dirty. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 Feb. 2025 Scott’s Tom Ripley was a clean break from that of Matt Damon; instead of a petulant pretty boy seized by envy and lust, this Ripley was older (Scott is in his late forties) and scarier, a lonesome manipulator with a murderous gleam in his eye. — Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024 John Boyega plays Dahomey’s young king, Ghezo, a benevolent if somewhat pretty boy leader who takes on soft diplomacy while deploying his Agojie to collect the heads of his enemies. — Tribune News Service, cleveland, 16 Sep. 2022 To compare his 1955 Newman, a pretty boy whose smile is a quick squiggle, with the Newman of 2002, his features still handsome but etched by the passage of a half-century, is an epitome in two drawings of Hirschfeld’s art. — Terry Teachout, WSJ, 6 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretty boy
  1. dude
  2. stud
  3. beau
  4. womanizer
  5. Beau Brummell
  6. fox
  7. hunk
  8. eyeful
Noun
  • Watching shoot-first combo guards go off for 30 in a summer-league game is great fun, but most of those dudes don’t get to play with a neon-green light in a game that matters.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • There’s a lot of dudes out here that would sell their soul for an uncomplicated yet complicated jam just like that.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 22 July 2026
Definition of dude
Noun
  • The minimalist design has shining gold-tone brass hardware, a press-stud closure, and an adjustable crossbody strap.
    — Charley Ward, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2026
  • Then Nicolas Tagliafico, a poor defender up against a great attacker in Lamine Yamal, took to attempting to foul the winger in four different ways at once, but most unpleasantly grazed his studs down Yamal’s calf.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of stud
Noun
  • Olsen first teased his relationship with Dockerty in October, soft-launching his new beau by blurring out his face in photos on social media.
    — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
  • Think beau sels oysters, salted fish croquettes, roasted swordfish and pizzas topped with lobster, tomatoes and stracciatella.
    — Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
Definition of beau
Noun
  • The chart-topper sparked many rumors about the identity of the apricot-scarf-wearing womanizer.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
  • Now, Cady is a former restaurateur and womanizer who became a tabloid sensation after his pregnant wife disappeared; his defense attorney, the young, pregnant, alcoholic Anna, seemingly guided him toward a plea deal engineered by Tom.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Definition of womanizer
Noun
  • Much like the advice of Beau Brummell, a close friend of the future King George IV who in the 19th century helped define Royal Ascot’s dress code.
    — Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 19 June 2026
  • The original dandy—most famously embodied by figures like Beau Brummell in 18th-century Britain—was a man whose primary purpose was to stand out by being impeccably groomed and dressed.
    — Ty Gaskins, Vogue, 29 Apr. 2025
Definition of Beau Brummell
Noun
  • Pedro Pascal voices a fox, Fink, who becomes an unlikely ally.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • With the paradox of the dog that could always catch something chasing a fox that couldn't be caught, Pseudo-Apollodorus wrote that Zeus turned them into stone to resolve the situation.
    — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of fox
Noun
  • More footage shot inside the disco shows the Real Madrid hunk grabbing Exposito, dipping her down and giving her a big kiss in front of everyone.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026
  • There may be a nice bunch of grapes, a couple slices of melon, and a hunk of juicy homegrown tomato.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 16 July 2026
Definition of hunk
Noun
  • Wrestler Roddy Piper went off the mat for his first major acting gig as a Los Angeles guy who picks up those shades and gets eyefuls of aliens amongst him — all of whom hold the real power in our corrupt world.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
  • One memorable member of the Dunder Mifflin crew tells EW that viewers *do not* need to get an eyeful of him for one specific reason.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
Definition of eyeful

Browse Nearby Words

pretty
pretty boy
pretty boys
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Cite this Entry

“Pretty boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretty%20boy. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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