pretty 1 of 3

1
2
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

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pretty

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adverb

pretty

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noun

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
Adjective
From Saturday, March 1, to Saturday, April 12, 2025 pretty Venus goes retrograde. Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, 28 Feb. 2025 Situated in the scenic village of Alfriston, the hotel is surrounded by a bustling community famed for throwing fetes and fayres on the ‘Tye’ (the village green), the sweeping South Downs National Park and chocolate-box-pretty pubs. Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
Adverb
The worst-case scenarios aren't pretty. Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Clear value beats pretty graphics. Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
In Davina’s eyes — and Lord Lovat’s — Julia is this pretty new thing who has drawn the attention of the laird. Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025 Thanks to the three inseam options, pretty much everyone can enjoy the cut too. Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pretty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretty
Adjective
  • But where the book had the benefit of MacDonald’s beautiful and searching interior monologue, the movie chooses to articulate her pain — as well as her refusal to process it — from the outside in.
    David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
  • SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.
    Max Springer, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Cutely line them up along the mantel with candles or lanterns, or add them to a nice tray with a few jack-o’-lanterns.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The beef is tender, and the broth has that nice aromatic spice that is immediately soothing and associated with a classic beef noodle soup.
    Shindy Chen, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Questions over the midfielder being a suitable captain arose when his form dipped in the 2024-25 season.
    Art de Roché, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • This long-sleeve dress is suitable for multiple occasions and easy to style.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • Since the 1980s, the number of games played per decade has been relatively consistent.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Unemployment has stayed relatively low in part because of dampened demand for workers as well as a depressed supply (people aging out of the workforce as well as reductions in immigrant workers).
    Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Music aside, Stone Groove Stillhouse is quite the looker.
    Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 29 July 2025
  • David Hockney is a good looker.
    Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • People want to include crape myrtles and roses-of-Sharon as their privacy plants, for example, and both of those, while lovely in summer, would be bare and drab in the winter.
    Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
  • It’s been really lovely, also exhausting.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Sinner had left the court for a medical timeout after losing the second set, and was sweating heavily from the first set onward on a pleasant 77-degree evening.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The fact that people actually read it — that now, TFD is a fully-fledged media company with a staff of eight and a monthly audience of over 3 million women — came as a pleasant surprise.
    Chelsea Fagan, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Community policing, which is a collaboration between police and the community to solve problems, and the use-of-force continuum – the escalating series of appropriate actions an officer may take to resolve a situation – also form part of training.
    Luke William Hunt, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Plants produce a large, fleshy underground storage organ (the bulb) that, at the appropriate time of year, and in response to a certain set of environmental conditions, sends out a spray of strap-like leaves and one or more stalks that end in one or more flowers.
    Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pretty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretty. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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