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
-
Somebody’s got to shoot it, dude.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
-
That's when golden dudes will start being handed out.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Small diamond studs and rings finished the shimmering silver look.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
When a medic advised him that the cut would need stitches, Green suggested piercing the bandage up with a stud — or, alternatively, throwing some Elmer’s glue on it.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The song comes alongside a video, shot by Michael Grant, which features a beaming Bey cozied up with an apparent beau in a bucket hat.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The frontrunners are Vanity Fair cover star Kylie Jenner and her nominated beau Timothée Chalamet, who has been the butt of the joke all night for his opera and ballet comments.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The brothers, their lawyers conceded, were womanizers.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
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
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
-
At the same time, prey traveling with the wind can easily be detected by the fox.—
Sheryl De Vore,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
-
While under veterinary care, the fox is being fed a diet that includes produce, proteins and biscuit-like items suitable for an omnivorous species.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And perhaps this whole saga illuminates another reason why voters prefer to make young hunks wait until their late 30s, as Jordan did, to get their Oscar — to teach them humility.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Like the others, its lead suffers heartily before falling in love with a hunk.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This weekend, fans will also get an eyeful during the NBA All-Star Weekend.—
Contessa Brewer,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The View producer Brian Teta got an eyeful — as did viewers at home — when three cohosts motioned toward their privates during a discussion about childbirth.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretty boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretty%20boy. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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