beautiful
Americanadjective
-
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
-
excellent of its kind.
a beautiful putt on the seventh hole; The chef served us a beautiful roast of beef.
-
wonderful; very pleasing or satisfying.
noun
interjection
-
wonderful; fantastic.
You got two front-row seats? Beautiful!
-
extraordinary; incredible: used ironically.
Your car broke down in the middle of the freeway? Beautiful!
adjective
-
possessing beauty; aesthetically pleasing
-
highly enjoyable; very pleasant
the party was beautiful
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of beautiful
Explanation
The adjective beautiful describes a thing that is pleasing to the senses. A field of wildflowers, a colorful sunset, and an abstract sculpture could all be considered beautiful. The word beautiful is closely related to the words beauty and beautify, and you'll notice they all share the same beginning, beau-. Almost anything can be described as beautiful because, as the saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." So while you may think the brown spotted grass frog is unattractive, a scientist who spends all day studying them may think it's beautiful.
Vocabulary lists containing beautiful
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 4
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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.
“I think what is great about the LA Phil and all the venues they have,” Estrada says, “is it’s a really, really beautiful and empowering place to tell any story you want to tell.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Not exactly a five-minute dinner, but a beautiful one.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
"They're being carved out of beautiful limestone, and they'll be Corinthian -- the Corinthian design which is considered the creme de la creme," said Trump.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
Steps away, sliding glass doors provide direct access to a beautiful terrace, where a private pool and raised spa make an average afternoon at home feel like a vacation.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
But the team is moving and seems healthy and everybody is eating and drinking and the scenery is so beautiful that it doesn’t matter how far we’re behind.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
