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

3

pretty

2 of 3

adverb

pretty

3 of 3

noun

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a pretty picture
a cute picture
a gorgeous picture
a beautiful picture
a lovely picture
a fabulous picture
a pretty place
a stunning place
a picturesque place
a scenic place
an aesthetic place
a gorgeous place
a pretty dress
a stylish dress
an adorable dress
a fabulous dress
a fashionable dress
a great dress
a pretty name
a lovely name
a neat name
a wonderful name
a pleasant name
a nice name

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 Aimée and Trintignant are movie-star pretty, but Lelouch’s style gives them both a weighty humanity, as do their performances. Carmel Dagan, Variety, 18 June 2024
Adverb
Thune’s mixture of appeals to the right and the middle of the GOP didn’t always look pretty. Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 1 July 2025 Candice took us to the west, the prettier side of the compound, where the maze lay, and the gardens and pond. Literary Hub, 24 June 2025
Noun
The American dream is on life support for first-time homebuyers, new data shows, and the landscape will remain pretty bleak for a while. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 9 July 2025 That’s because of a combination of factors, the chief one being that pretty much everybody everywhere on Earth likes Keanu Reeves. Rebecca Keegan, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for pretty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretty
Adjective
  • Jinkx had a beautiful showing in a season where the queens all got to just show their best every week.
    EW.com, EW.com, 9 July 2025
  • So go ahead, live in the Arizona desert, the Colorado mountains, Upstate New York, or, like me, the beautiful plains of Oklahoma.
    Katrina Cossey, Parents, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • Specialty restaurants on Westerdam, which come at an extra cost, include Pinnacle Grill, a steakhouse-style affair serving prime steaks and seafood, and Canaletto, which does nice Italian fare.
    Susan B. Barnes, Travel + Leisure, 1 July 2025
  • There are women in nice dresses and sunglasses shopping for groceries and clothing at a general store.
    JoAnn DeLuna, NPR, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Moist soil is important; however, areas where moisture accumulates during the winter are not suitable as this will make the tubers rot.
    Lauren David, Southern Living, 6 July 2025
  • Each piece has a sturdy coated iron frame that’s rust-resistant and suitable for year-round outdoor exposure, while the chairs are covered in a quick-drying breathable fabric that’s fade- and UV-resistant.
    Maggie Horton, People.com, 5 July 2025
Adverb
  • In a linear pathway, the progression of AI toward AGI is relatively equal each year and consists of a gradual incremental climb from conventional AI to AGI.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • But at a price point just north of $500, that’s a relatively small gripe for an otherwise sound piece of equipment.
    Amy Wilkinson, SELF, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • David Hockney is a good looker.
    Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2025
  • New battery technology aside, the keyboard is quite a looker.
    Zackery Cuevas, PCMAG, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Cue people lining up to declare what a lovely touch this was, the problem being that the reports turned out not to be true and were based on a misinterpretation of something the Fiorentina president said.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 10 July 2025
  • This jar candle has a lovely fragrance reminiscent of a tropical island, featuring citrus, florals and vanilla elements.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 10 July 2025
Adjective
  • Quiet and largely seasonably pleasant weather will settle across the Kansas City area on Tuesday, giving the metro a break from the heat and storms of the past few days, according to the National Weather Service.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2025
  • The average temperature is a pleasant 56°F (13°C), with warm summers and cool winters.
    Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • These ribbons can be steamed, boiled, or even served raw with an appropriate sauce.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 4 July 2025
  • When asked by the judge near the start of Wednesday’s hours-long hearing, attorneys for the parties could not reach an agreement on an appropriate value for the sanctions.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pretty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretty. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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