Definition of beautifulnext
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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective beautiful differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of beautiful are comely, fair, handsome, lovely, and pretty. While all these words mean "exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure," beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

beautiful mountain scenery

How are the words comely and handsome related as synonyms of beautiful?

Comely is like handsome in suggesting what is coolly approved rather than emotionally responded to.

the comely grace of a dancer

When can fair be used instead of beautiful?

The words fair and beautiful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

fair of face

When could handsome be used to replace beautiful?

While in some cases nearly identical to beautiful, handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

a handsome Georgian mansion

How do lovely and beautiful relate to one another?

Lovely is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite.

a lovely melody

In what contexts can pretty take the place of beautiful?

The words pretty and beautiful can be used in similar contexts, but pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness.

a painter of conventionally pretty scenes

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 beautiful This wood paste cleans, polishes, and leaves behind a beautiful, shiny finish. — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026 The material needed to stand up to a little rain—I’m a New Yorker sans car, after all—and still accrue a beautiful patina over time. — Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026 All forms of grief are valid, and the beautiful thing about this story is that in the end there was finally a reunification between the two sides. — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026 Besides the powdery purple shade, most purple bottoms feature a beautiful deep grape hue that works similarly to styling a navy or chocolate brown. — Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for beautiful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beautiful
Adjective
  • The restaurant serves a lovely breakfast on the veranda overlooking Ocean Drive as well as lunch and light bites in the piano bar in the lobby.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Then Musgraves, in her first appearance at the VMAs in five years, took over for a lovely solo piano-and-voice performance of Parton’s song.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Guests have access to the wonderful 18-hole course next door.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
  • With the Moon in your sign opposing Venus in your partnership zone, affection could feel wonderful one minute and intrusive the next.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 29 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Palm Grove is a gorgeous, sophisticated toile; red-and-white ticking stripe has a classic, polished look that feels fresh and timeless.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Or maybe Pitt simply wanted to get his Jack London on, traipsing throughout gorgeous natural terrain and ruffling his co-star’s fur in between fending off feral wolves and navigating impromptu whitewater rafting trips sans the raft.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Longbridge is an excellent option, especially for those looking to save money.
    — Liz Knueven,Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Pricing for the conversion starts at 100,000 euros, or roughly $113,670, but does not include the donor 944, which runs around $60,000 in excellent condition, according to Hagerty.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 28 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Instead of black tights, try cute little socks or colorful tights.
    — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Solid prewar with 850 square feet of space, a windowed kitchen that’s renovated and kind of cute, a windowed bathroom with a good tub.
    — Nora Deligter, Curbed, 2 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Technology is at the heart of facials, especially, from a skin analysis machine and facial sculpting wand to a cryotherapy mask that was positively icy—but also awesome—at -4 degrees Fahrenheit.
    — Kathryn Romeyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Besides its unique quirks, the Tab A1 Plus offers some awesome AI add-ons to boost your productivity, fantastic 8MP cameras and speakers for video calls, and ultra-smooth performance.
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • And Jeremy is the handsome cipher, the seemingly long-suffering dreamboat of a husband who may or may not be harboring more ominous intentions.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The perfect cup of coffee with Kevin Costner After reading prior interviews Costner had done with other outlets, one thing felt surprising given the actor's tendency toward the ruggedly handsome, cowboy archetype.
    — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The rich collections do a great job of honoring visual traditions and explaining their connections to real people and real places.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Despite deep-rooted tensions between southerners and the PLC, both are in agreement that the Houthi threat is far greater than that of the other.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Beautiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beautiful. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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