1
as in dude
a man extremely interested in his clothing and personal appearance
a downtown dance club with lots of pretty boys in attendance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stud
a physically attractive man
as a musical performer, he has yet to prove that he's more than just another pretty boy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pretty boy
Melvin Combs, the dark-skinned, pretty boy with the toothy, megawatt smile, was a co-conspirator in a case that would send some members of his crew to prison for up to 12 years.
—
Aliya S. King, VIBE.com, 6 Dec. 2025
This was the last time Leo would try to headline a big-budget movie still looking like the pretty boy of Titanic; after this, his next four films were for either Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Also, why is arthouse pretty boy Louis Garrel, who portrays the leader of a resistance group known as Breakwalls (That’s seriously their name.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
At Hartford Stage, Rafael Jordan plays Sterling as a smooth-talking pretty boy who seems unwilling to get his hands dirty.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 Feb. 2025
Scott’s Tom Ripley was a clean break from that of Matt Damon; instead of a petulant pretty boy seized by envy and lust, this Ripley was older (Scott is in his late forties) and scarier, a lonesome manipulator with a murderous gleam in his eye.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
How to adopt: Interested adopters can meet pretty boy Pepper at the Arizona Humane Society’s South Mountain location.
—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 21 Jan. 2023
John Boyega plays Dahomey’s young king, Ghezo, a benevolent if somewhat pretty boy leader who takes on soft diplomacy while deploying his Agojie to collect the heads of his enemies.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 16 Sep. 2022
To compare his 1955 Newman, a pretty boy whose smile is a quick squiggle, with the Newman of 2002, his features still handsome but etched by the passage of a half-century, is an epitome in two drawings of Hirschfeld’s art.
—Terry Teachout, WSJ, 6 Apr. 2021
Aliya S. King, VIBE.com, 6 Dec. 2025
This was the last time Leo would try to headline a big-budget movie still looking like the pretty boy of Titanic; after this, his next four films were for either Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Also, why is arthouse pretty boy Louis Garrel, who portrays the leader of a resistance group known as Breakwalls (That’s seriously their name.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
At Hartford Stage, Rafael Jordan plays Sterling as a smooth-talking pretty boy who seems unwilling to get his hands dirty.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 Feb. 2025
Scott’s Tom Ripley was a clean break from that of Matt Damon; instead of a petulant pretty boy seized by envy and lust, this Ripley was older (Scott is in his late forties) and scarier, a lonesome manipulator with a murderous gleam in his eye.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
How to adopt: Interested adopters can meet pretty boy Pepper at the Arizona Humane Society’s South Mountain location.
—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 21 Jan. 2023
John Boyega plays Dahomey’s young king, Ghezo, a benevolent if somewhat pretty boy leader who takes on soft diplomacy while deploying his Agojie to collect the heads of his enemies.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 16 Sep. 2022
To compare his 1955 Newman, a pretty boy whose smile is a quick squiggle, with the Newman of 2002, his features still handsome but etched by the passage of a half-century, is an epitome in two drawings of Hirschfeld’s art.
—Terry Teachout, WSJ, 6 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretty boy
Noun
-
Outside Schiaparelli, the actor’s black leather overcoat is having a bit of a fashion tussle with the green-y lenses of his eyeglasses, but Cassel is a tough dude who can carry that.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
When one lady allegedly smashed some dude’s smart glasses on the subway, she was universally hailed as a hero.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Horned Frogs bring back Zach Chapman and Paul Oyewale at defensive end, but need to replace Devean Deal and Jonathan Bax at stud.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Jan. 2026
-
United were struggling to make those mistakes pay until Thiaw got his studs caught in the turf and fell to the ground.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Despite some very not-so-subtle hints from yours truly, my past beaus have never gifted me a handbag on Valentine’s Day, either.—
Michelle Baricevic,
InStyle,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The 500 Days of Summer actress was elated to be getting a kiss from her beau.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Sandro Petraglia’s script characterizes him as a dashing rogue out of his depth, an artistic genius in an illicit trade, a disco-loving womanizer, all of which Castellitto performs with confidence.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The same outlet had previously reported that Urban’s been a womanizer for years.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The original dandy—most famously embodied by figures like Beau Brummell in 18th-century Britain—was a man whose primary purpose was to stand out by being impeccably groomed and dressed.—
Ty Gaskins,
Vogue,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Buy the Book From Beau Brummell to Emily Adams Bode, The Men’s Fashion Book documents over 200 years of fashion history by spotlighting the people and brands that have shaped the world of menswear.—
WSJ,
WSJ,
1 Oct. 2021
Noun
-
Eventually, the fox coaxed its tiny kits out of their den and led them on their first foray into the open.—
Nicholas DeRenzo,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The foxes were moved to Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Peacock said.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Ask for the basket of dill, basil and other herbs, with cubes of the feta-adjacent Bulgarian cheese called sirene, to build more textured, complex bites wrapped around hunks of taftoon.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
-
There's really nothing pretty about a boxy hunk of aluminum jutting out of a pickup bed or rattling around behind the main vehicle.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Every eyeful was a universe, a cosmos squeezed into a teacup.—
Susan Casey,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
-
After sports commentator Nate Burleson stuffed America's collective stocking with an eyeful of bright red Christmas attire on Netflix's NFL Christmas Day livestream, cohost and former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan poked back.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pretty boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretty%20boy. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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