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
-
This weird dude who was just for some reason in the background of all those studio sessions.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
-
This weird dude who was just for some reason in the background of all those studio sessions.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The Cleia features a cut-out T-strap silhouette with gold-tone cabochon studs running down it.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
6 June 2026
-
These studs cut from the center of a tree are usually very straight and will not warp over time.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
The duo became Instagram official in December, when Perry posted a collection of photos and videos from her time in Tokyo, which included quality time with her beau.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
Olga, on the other hand just, like, moves on, when her beau is killed in that duel, finding a soldier to dote on in the very next scene.—
Lauren Warnecke,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2026
Noun
-
Cohen plays Damien Sachs, a womanizer who wakes up in a parallel universe dominated by women.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Past friends and former associates described him to me as an exceptionally cunning con man, a consummate charmer, and a womanizer.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
3 Apr. 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
-
Like the Smokies, Allegheny National Forest boasts its own impressive roster of wildlife, including black bear, deer, foxes, wild turkeys, salamanders, beavers, and snowshoe hare.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
7 June 2026
-
Its trio, a lonely fox-deer, an axolotl apprentice healer and a red panda Viking, travel through a darkening natural world as the series folds identity, belonging and environmental crisis.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Cut to the now-twentysomething Adam (The Idea of You‘s hunk Nicholas Galitzine), explaining all of this wonky mythology to a date, who writes him off as a delusional, pretty-boy doofus.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2026
-
And remember, that’s not seven individual hunks of metal or stamps in the sheet metal; those numbers are far greater.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
This superb sipper is as good a reason as any to break out your punch bowl, and is soon to become your signature once everyone at the gathering catches an eyeful, then tastes a cup-full.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
1 May 2026
-
What was on offer? Getting an eyeful of the range of things that Polymarket users will bet on via USDC stablecoins was enlightening.—
Rob Pegoraro,
ArsTechnica,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pretty boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretty%20boy. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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