prettier; prettiest
1
a
: attractive to look at usually in a simple or delicate way
a pretty dress
pretty flowers
—used especially of a girl or womanShe has a pretty face.
I've never seen her looking so happy or so pretty.
b
: pleasant to look at or listen to
a pretty sunset/room/voice/name/poem
That song is pretty. = That's a pretty song.
2
always used before a noun
: large or impressive
He made a pretty profit selling his antique car.
She received a pretty sum of money.
3
: pleasant to see or experience
What a pretty [=nice] day.
—usually used in negative statementsThe game wasn't pretty but at least we won.
It isn't going to be pretty when the mayor finds out his son has been arrested.
The kitchen was not a pretty sight [=the kitchen was very messy] after we finished making breakfast.
4
always used before a noun old-fashioned
: very unpleasant
What a pretty [=terrible] mess you've gotten us into!
a pretty [=miserable] state of affairs
1
: to some degree or extent but not very or extremely : fairly
The house was pretty [=moderately, rather] big.
It's pretty cold outside.
"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.
(US) I'm pretty near/nearly done. [=I'm almost done]
2
: to a great degree or extent : very
His injury was pretty bad. [=his injury was bad]
We got pretty [=quite] close.
They've accomplished some pretty amazing things.
She was driving pretty fast.
pretties; prettied; prettying
: to make (something) pretty
She prettied the cake with icing, sprinkles, and nuts.
—usually + upThe curtains pretty up the room.
Landscapers prettied the park up with flowers and bushes.
Cite this Entry
“Pretty.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/pretty. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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