pleasant
Americanadjective
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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
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giving or affording pleasure; enjoyable
-
having pleasing or agreeable manners, appearance, habits, etc
-
obsolete merry and lively
Other Word Forms
- pleasantly adverb
- pleasantness noun
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
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.
At the same time, the author’s easy way with an anecdote makes reading “Advance Britannia” effortlessly pleasant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Surprise — much less pleasant surprise — is a rare sensation these days.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
And Please, a slick piece of harmonic pop, is perfectly pleasant without leaving a lasting impression.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
That feeling of a parent’s pleasant astonishment at how their children carried themselves became a part of the making of the Aselton-Duplass family’s “Their Town” as well.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
“Oh, you’re Margaret Coleman’s father,” she said, her face softening and becoming pleasant.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
