beauty
Americannoun
plural
beauties-
the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).
- Synonyms:
- allure, attractiveness, pulchritude
-
a beautiful person, especially a woman.
- Synonyms:
- belle
-
treatments and products that enhance a person’s physical attractiveness, or the industry associated with this.
She left her career in business administration to pursue her passion in beauty and wellness.
-
a beautiful thing, as a work of art or a building.
-
Often beauties. a beautiful feature or trait in nature or in some natural or artificial environment.
the rugged beauties of our seashore and mountains.
-
an individually pleasing or beautiful quality; grace; charm.
a vivid blue area that is the one real beauty of the painting.
-
Informal. a particular advantage.
One of the beauties of this medicine is the freedom from aftereffects.
-
(often used ironically) someone or something that is extraordinary, remarkable, or amazing; a beaut.
That sunburn is a real beauty!
-
something excellent of its kind.
My old car, now she was a beauty.
adjective
noun
-
the combination of all the qualities of a person or thing that delight the senses and please the mind
-
a very attractive and well-formed girl or woman
-
informal an outstanding example of its kind
the horse is a beauty
-
informal an advantageous feature
one beauty of the job is the short hours
-
informal a light-hearted and affectionate term of address
hello, my old beauty!
interjection
Other Word Forms
- nonbeauty noun
Etymology
Origin of beauty
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English be(a)ute, from Old French beaute; replacing Middle English bealte, from Old French beltet, from unattested Vulgar Latin bellitāt- (stem of unattested bellitās ), equivalent to Latin bell(us) “fine” + -itāt- noun suffix; -ity
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.
Kite flying is not just about beauty, it's about the battle to knock your opponent's kite out of the sky by cutting their string.
From BBC
Selfies were becoming more prevalent as social media grew, and standards of beauty hewed close to celebrity Kim Kardashian’s looks, especially in regards to eye makeup and products used for face contouring.
From MarketWatch
The celebs have, in most cases, flown out for elaborate citizenship ceremonies and tours of local beauty spots, all of which have been captured for glossy social media content.
From BBC
"We don't pay much attention to bookies' odds. One of the beauties of rugby is that on any given day, anything can happen," said Underhill.
From Barron's
Across a running time tied to the shifting seasons, pocked by images of breathtaking beauty, Pálmason is after a feeling that only patient observance yields: a lasting reality about the passing of relationships.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
