beautiful

[byoo-tuh-fuhl]

adjective

1. having beauty; possessing qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind.

   a beautiful dress;

   a beautiful speech.

   Synonyms: beauteous, fair, attractive, seemly, comely
   Antonyms: ugly

2. excellent of its kind.

   a beautiful putt on the seventh hole; The chef served us a beautiful roast of beef.

3. wonderful; very pleasing or satisfying.

noun

1. the beautiful,

   1. the concept of beauty.

   2. (used with a plural verb),  beautiful things or people collectively.

      the good and the beautiful.

   3. the ideal of beauty.

      to strive to attain the beautiful.

interjection

1. wonderful; fantastic.

   You got two front-row seats? Beautiful!

2. extraordinary; incredible: used ironically.

   Your car broke down in the middle of the freeway? Beautiful!

beautiful

/ ˈbjuːtɪfʊl /

adjective

1. possessing beauty; aesthetically pleasing

2. highly enjoyable; very pleasant

   the party was beautiful

Other Word Forms

• beautifulness noun
• beautifully adverb
• unbeautiful adjective
• unbeautifully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of beautiful¹

First recorded in 1520–30; beauty + -ful

Example Sentences

Completed in 1929 and restored by Disney in 2014, the beautiful Spanish Revival and Art Deco building is all that remains of the airport.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Known for his iconic role in the 1987 cult classic film, The Lost Boys, the actor described the town as "looking beautiful" during filming in January and February.

Read more on BBC

"The most beautiful manifestations of a CME are auroras, which are a clear example that charged particles from Sun are travelling to Earth," Prof Ramesh explains.

Read more on BBC

Nestled just below the San Gabriel Mountains, it is probably the most beautiful as well.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“It’s so beautiful, people here are listening, because no one around me listens,” she said.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• alluring 
• appealing 
• attractive 
• exquisite 
• gorgeous 
• handsome 
• lovely 
• magnificent 
• pulchritudinous 
• ravishing 
• stunning 

When To Use

What are other ways to say beautiful?

A person or thing that is beautiful possesses qualities that give great pleasure to see, hear, or think about. When should you use this adjective over handsome, lovely, or pretty? Find out on Thesaurus.com.