plural beauties
1
: the quality of being physically attractive
Her beauty is beyond compare. [=she is very beautiful; no one is as beautiful as she is]
—sometimes used before another nounbeauty products [=soaps, makeup, and other things that help make people more physically attractive]
a beauty treatment
2
: the qualities in a person or a thing that give pleasure to the senses or the mind
the beauty [=loveliness] of the stars
We explored the natural beauty of the island.
I'm learning to appreciate the beauty of poetry.
We have different ideas/notions/conceptions of beauty. [=different opinions about what makes things beautiful]
"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever…"—
John Keats, Endymion (1818)
John Keats, Endymion (1818)We explored the natural beauties of the island.
3
: a beautiful woman
She was one of the great beauties of her time.
She was no beauty.
4
informal
: a very good thing : a very good example of something
That was a beauty of a fight. [=that was an excellent fight]
Dad and I went fishing and we caught a couple of beauties.
—often used in an ironic way to describe a bad thing or personThat mistake was a beauty.
5
: a good or appealing part of something
The beauty of the game is that everyone can play.
No one knows when it's going to happen, and that's the beauty of it!
One of the beauties of the system is that it allows you to adjust the schedule easily.
Cite this Entry
“Beauty.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/beauty. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy Citation
