pleasant
Americanadjective
-
pleasing, agreeable, or enjoyable; giving pleasure.
pleasant news.
- Synonyms:
- gratifying, welcome
-
(of persons, manners, disposition, etc.) socially acceptable or adept; polite; amiable; agreeable.
- Synonyms:
- friendly, congenial, delightful
-
fair, as weather.
a pleasant summer day.
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Archaic. lively, sprightly, or merry.
-
Obsolete. jocular or facetious.
adjective
-
giving or affording pleasure; enjoyable
-
having pleasing or agreeable manners, appearance, habits, etc
-
obsolete merry and lively
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of pleasant
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English plesaunt, from Old French plaisant, originally present participle of plaisir “to please”; equivalent to please + -ant
Explanation
Something pleasant is nice or enjoyable. Usually, a picnic in the park is considered a pleasant activity. Pleasant is a word for things that are pleasing: ice cream is considered pleasant by most people. A second meaning refers to a person who is polite or agreeable. People who have good manners, give compliments, smile often are considered more pleasant than someone who screams and curses all the time. This word is often used for weather: clear skies and warm temperatures are signs of pleasant weather. Still, different weather (and other things) will be pleasant to different people.
Vocabulary lists containing pleasant
Be Nice!
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Sadie was always so pleasant to deal with, always full of fun, such a lovely lady and also just a real character here in Portrush."
From BBC • May 31, 2026
Checking in: The British crime drama “Legends,” which dropped in early May, was a pleasant surprise.
From MarketWatch • May 31, 2026
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a pleasant surprise for dozens of New York City landlords: He is sparing them from his proposed rent freeze this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
A 40-year-old project manager at the Getty Research Institute, Dwyer held his 2-year-old daughter as his son, 6, romped on a pleasant afternoon in Sierra Madre’s Memorial Park.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
They were pleasant enough, but they did not make eye contact with me.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
