Definition of pretty
prettier
;prettiest
2a : pleasing by delicacy or graceb : having conventionally accepted elements of beautyc : appearing or sounding pleasant or nice but lacking strength, force, manliness, purpose, or intensity pretty words that make no sense — Elizabeth B. Browning
3a : miserable, terrible a pretty mess you've gotten us intob chiefly Scotland : stout
4 : moderately large : considerable a very pretty profit cost a pretty penny
5 : easy to enjoy : pleasant —usually used in negative constructions reality is not so pretty — Caleb Solomon
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Examples of pretty in a Sentence
This white shape stood apart by the hedge alone. From her position he knew it to be the pretty maiden with whom he had not danced. Trifling as the matter was, he yet instinctively felt that she was hurt by his oversight. —Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, 1891
Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure. Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much. —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813
He made a pretty profit selling his antique car.
She received a pretty sum of money.
Origin and Etymology of pretty
Middle English praty, prety, from Old English prættig tricky, from prætt trick; akin to Old Norse prettr trick
First Known Use: before 12th century
Synonym Discussion of pretty
Definition of pretty
1a : in some degree : moderately pretty cold weatherb : quite, mainly the wound was … pretty bad — Walt Whitman
2 : in a gracefully pleasing manner : prettily pop vocalists who can sing pretty — Gerald Levitch
Using pretty as an Adverb
Some handbooks complain that pretty is overworked and recommend the selection of a more specific word or advise that pretty should be restricted to informal or colloquial contexts. Pretty is used to tone down a statement and is in wide use across the whole spectrum of English. It is common in informal speech and writing but is neither rare nor wrong in serious discourse he may, if he be pretty well off or clever, qualify himself as a doctor — G. B. Shaw a return to those traditions of American foreign policy which worked pretty well for over a century — H. S. Commager the arguments for buying expensive books have to be pretty cogent — The Times Literary Supplement (London)
Examples of pretty in a Sentence
By taunting the police, beating drums and throwing rocks, the rioters make it pretty clear that they want not a rational debate but the world's attention … —Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2001
… I could pretty much go wherever I felt a story led … —Roy Blount, Jr., New York Times Book Review, 9 Mar. 1986
… regards most of us as pretty irrevocably plunged in illusion. —Iris Murdoch, The Fire and the Sun, 1977
The reflected radiance served to show, pretty distinctly, the aspect and arrangement of the room which Hepzibah entered, after descending the stairs. —Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of Seven Gables, 1851
“Did you put the keys on the table?” “I'm pretty sure I did.”
The teams are pretty equally matched.
The work is pretty hard.
I have to leave pretty soon.
The movie was pretty good but not great.
They've accomplished some pretty amazing things.
She was driving pretty fast.
Origin and Etymology of pretty
see 1pretty
First Known Use: 1565
Origin and Etymology of pretty
see 1pretty
First Known Use: 1616
Definition of pretty
prettied
;prettying
transitive verb
: to make pretty —usually used with up curtains to pretty up the room
Examples of pretty in a Sentence
She prettied the cake with icing, sprinkles, and nuts.
Origin and Etymology of pretty
see 1pretty
First Known Use: 1868
PRETTY Defined for English Language Learners
pretty
playDefinition of pretty for English Language Learners
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: attractive to look at usually in a simple or delicate way
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: pleasant to look at or listen to
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: large or impressive
pretty
playDefinition of pretty for English Language Learners
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: to some degree or extent but not very or extremely
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: to a great degree or extent
PRETTY Defined for Kids
Definition of pretty for Students
prettier
;prettiest
: pleasing to the eye or ear especially because of being graceful or delicate a pretty face a pretty tune
prettily
\ˈpri-tə-lē\ adverbprettiness
\ˈpri-tē-nəs\ nounLearn More about pretty
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See words that rhyme with pretty Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pretty Spanish Central: Translation of pretty Nglish: Translation of pretty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pretty for Arabic speakers
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