TOP

Definition of pretty adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

pretty

adjective
 
 
/ˈprɪti/
 
/ˈprɪti/
(comparative prettier, superlative prettiest)
Idioms
jump to other results
  1.  
     (used most often about a woman or girl) attractive without being very beautiful
    • a pretty face
    • a very pretty child
    • You look so pretty in that dress!
    • She's very attractive, though not conventionally pretty.
    Synonyms beautifulbeautifulpretty ▪ handsome ▪ attractive ▪ lovely ▪ good-looking ▪ gorgeousThese words all describe people who are pleasant to look at.beautiful (most often used of a woman or girl) very pleasant to look at:
    • She looked stunningly beautiful that night.
    pretty (most often used of a girl or woman) pleasant to look at:
    • She’s got a very pretty face.
    Pretty is used most often to talk about girls. When it is used to talk about a woman, it usually suggests that she is like a girl, with small, delicate features.    handsome (of a man) pleasant to look at; (of a woman) pleasant to look at, with large strong features rather than small delicate ones:
    • He was described as ‘tall, dark and handsome’.
    attractive (of a person) pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way:
    • She’s a very attractive woman.
    lovely (of a person) beautiful; very attractive:
    • She looked particularly lovely that night.
    When you describe somebody as lovely, you are usually showing that you also like them very much.    good-looking (of a person) pleasant to look at, often in a sexual way:
    • She arrived with a very good-looking man.
    gorgeous (informal) (of a person) extremely attractive, especially in a sexual way:
    • You look gorgeous!
     attractive or good-looking?If you describe somebody as attractive you often also mean that they have a pleasant personality as well as being pleasant to look at; good-looking only describes somebody’s physical appearance.Patterns
    • a(n) beautiful/​pretty/​handsome/​attractive/​lovely/​good-looking/​gorgeous girl/​woman
    • a(n) beautiful/​handsome/​attractive/​good-looking/​gorgeous boy/​man
    • a(n) beautiful/​pretty/​handsome/​attractive/​lovely/​good-looking face
    Topics Appearancea1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    • …
    See full entry
  2.  
     (of places or things) attractive and pleasant to look at or to listen to without being large, beautiful or impressive
    • pretty clothes
    • a pretty garden
    • Lydia—what a pretty name!
    • That's a pretty flower—what's it called?
    • The canal looked prettiest at night.
    • (figurative) He was hired to make the company pretty and then sell it off.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    • …
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    • …
    See full entry
    3. Word OriginOld English prættig; related to Middle Dutch pertich ‘brisk, clever’, obsolete Dutch prettig ‘humorous, sporty’, from a West Germanic base meaning ‘trick’. The sense development ‘deceitful, cunning, clever, skilful, admirable, pleasing, nice’ has parallels in adjectives such as canny, fine, nice, etc.
Idioms
as pretty as a picture
  1. (old-fashioned) very pretty
    • She’s as pretty as a picture.
    More Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms
come to a pretty pass
(also come to such a pass)
  1. (old-fashioned or humorous) to reach a sad or difficult state
    • I never thought things would come to this pretty pass.
    • Things have come to a pretty pass when we can’t afford to pay the heating bills!
not just a pretty face
  1. (humorous) used to emphasize that you have particular skills or qualities
    • ‘I didn't know you could play the piano.’ ‘I'm not just a pretty face, you know!’
not a pretty sight
  1. (humorous) not pleasant to look at
    • You should have seen him in his swimming trunks—not a pretty sight!
a pretty penny
  1. (old-fashioned) a lot of money
    • I bet that cost you a pretty penny.
See pretty in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: pretty

Nearby words

perspective
noun
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 3000
B2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day