Synonyms of pretty

pretty 1 of 3

adjective

ˈpri-tē 

1

as in beautiful

very pleasing to look at

a pretty young girl

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beautiful
• lovely
• cute
• gorgeous
• attractive
• handsome
• good
• stunning
• charming
• likely
• elegant
• delightful
• good-looking
• sexy
• perfect
• drop-dead
• fair
• ravishing
• comely
• glorious
• hot
• beauteous
• fascinating
• seemly
• goodly
• aesthetic
• fetching
• magnificent
• taking
• flawless
• sightly
• knockout
• pleasant
• appealing
• superb
• desirable
• exquisite
• bonny
• alluring
• delicate
• glamorous
• splendid
• engaging
• lovesome
• well-favored
• cunning
• sublime
• resplendent
• dainty
• prepossessing
• radiant
• statuesque
• personable
• seductive
• striking
• presentable
• slick
• glossy
• luscious
• snazzy
• foxy
• showy
• flashy
• prettyish
• photogenic
• flamboyant
• toothsome
• hunky
• nubile
• splashy
• Junoesque
• studly
• dishy
• arresting
• pulchritudinous
• chocolate-box
• dollish
• zingy
• eye-catching
• telegenic
• showstopping

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• plain
• ugly
• unattractive
• hideous
• homely
• grotesque
• bad
• terrible
• unsightly
• horrible
• unlovely
• shocking
• disgusting
• objectionable
• dreadful
• unpleasing
• offensive
• disagreeable
• vile
• repulsive
• repugnant
• revolting
• ghastly
• sickening
• abominable
• loathsome
• frightful
• nasty
• unpretty
• abhorrent
• unpleasant
• foul
• nauseating
• repellent
• unbeautiful
• unhandsome
• unappealing
• uncomely
• unaesthetic
• uncute
• unappetizing
• unprepossessing
• ill-favored
• unbecoming
• unimposing
• frumpy
• unshapely
• frumpish

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

• nice
• pleasant
• delicious
• delightful
• sweet
• enjoyable
• pleasing
• good
• satisfying
• heavenly
• welcome
• tempting
• jolly
• soothing
• comfortable
• tasty
• amusing
• pleasurable
• comforting
• dreamy
• darling
• blessed
• agreeable
• congenial
• grateful
• gratifying
• happy
• luscious
• attractive
• palatable
• delectable
• charming
• desirable
• fascinating
• felicitous
• savory
• alluring
• dulcet
• entertaining
• blissful
• enviable
• delightsome
• cheerful
• enchanting
• inviting
• calming
• cheery
• gracious
• amiable
• personable
• hospitable
• goodly
• kindly
• joyous
• glad
• affable
• relishable
• genial
• exhilarating
• ecstatic
• good-natured
• euphoric
• rapturous
• diverting
• recreative
• felicific
• intoxicating
• elating
• gemütlich
• nirvanic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unpleasant
• disagreeable
• miserable
• horrid
• disgusting
• unpalatable
• ghastly
• obnoxious
• flat
• abominable
• unwelcome
• offensive
• boring
• repulsive
• repugnant
• vile
• wretched
• distasteful
• dull
• hellish
• tedious
• sad
• commonplace
• odious
• hateful
• abhorrent
• detestable
• unsavory
• irksome
• stale
• repellent
• insipid
• unhappy
• depressing
• gloomy
• tragic
• bilious
• dismal
• god-awful
• dreary
• annoying
• yucky
• deplorable
• disheartening
• irritating
• regrettable
• hostile
• displeasing
• joyless
• aggravating
• vexing
• pleasureless
• heartbreaking
• sorrowful
• mournful
• lamentable
• doleful
• revulsive
• exasperating
• lugubrious
• perturbing
• heartrending
• dolorous
• dissatisfying
• disturbing
• forbidding
• maddening
• infuriating
• distressing
• upsetting
• lachrymose
• intimidating
• peeving
• enraging
• outraging
• angering
• rankling
• inflaming
• riling
• incensing

3

as in suitable

meeting the requirements of a purpose or situation

their misalliance is as pretty an example of an ill-conceived marriage as you're likely to find

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suitable
• appropriate
• good
• fitting
• proper
• fitted
• fit
• happy
• becoming
• right
• in order
• apt
• applicable
• meet
• balanced
• adequate
• acceptable
• felicitous
• needed
• befitting
• deserved
• satisfactory
• required
• decent
• capable
• just
• able
• justified
• competent
• requisite
• decorous
• serviceable
• qualified
• correct
• tolerable
• trained
• respectable
• cut out
• kosher
• condign
• rightful
• harmonious
• seemly
• pitch-perfect
• consonant
• congruous
• companionate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wrong
• inappropriate
• improper
• unhappy
• incongruous
• unsuitable
• unseemly
• unbecoming
• unfit
• inapplicable
• indecent
• incapable
• unfitting
• inadequate
• incompetent
• inapt
• inapposite
• unskilled
• unsatisfactory
• unacceptable
• inept
• untrained
• unqualified
• intolerable
• inexpert
• unapt
• infelicitous
• unbeseeming
• unskillful
• misbecoming
• unmeet
• incorrect
• malapropos
• incompatible
• indecorous
• graceless
• uncongenial

pretty

2 of 3

adverb

ˈpri-tē 

as in relatively

to some degree or extent

we've had some pretty cold weather lately

Synonyms & Similar Words

• relatively
• quite
• fairly
• rather
• something
• somewhat
• enough
• moderately
• a little
• to a degree
• a mite
• a bit
• slightly
• like
• of sorts
• sort of
• a tad
• kind of
• after a sort
• more or less
• decently
• kindly
• tolerably
• vaguely
• a touch
• acceptably
• passably
• little
• partially
• nominally
• partly
• negligibly
• halfway
• incompletely
• part
• half
• partway

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• very
• extremely
• particularly
• exceedingly
• highly
• terribly
• especially
• exceptionally
• awfully
• heavily
• greatly
• deadly
• frightfully
• hugely
• substantially
• significantly
• surpassingly
• considerably
• mortally
• beastly
• extensively
• mightily

pretty

3 of 3

noun

as in looker

Related Words

• looker
• hottie
• doll
• cutie-pie
• dish
• dreamboat
• femme fatale
• temptress
• coquette
• siren
• peach
• houri
• cover girl
• charmer
• vamp
• bathing beauty
• belle
• pinup girl
• cutie
• stunner
• beauty queen
• queen
• eyeful
• fox
• goddess
• beauty
• honey
• babe
• cookie
• dolly bird
• knockout
• enchantress

Dissimilar Words

• bag
• witch
• frump
• hag
• crone

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

Recent Examples of pretty

Adjective

Lemon cake layers spread with tangy strawberry-lemonade jam, and dressed with a fresh strawberry frosting pull together our favorite the summer flavors into one pretty, pink cake. — Brennan Long, Southern Living, 3 July 2026

The prettiest man in football landed a nasty elbow to Ireland’s Dara O’ Shea and was justifiably handed a red card. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026

Adverb

Alas, a win feels pretty far away as of the season four finale, in which Sophia removes the only protection the town has against the monsters. — Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026

The situation isn’t pretty at big private tech companies, either. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 7 July 2026

Noun

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

Rounding the culinary experiences out is Pistachio, the pastel-pretty café for sweet treats and fresh coffee. — Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 4 Mar. 2025

Phrases Containing pretty

• pretty (up)
• pretty boy
• pretty much