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Synonyms

beautiful

American  
[byoo-tuh-fuhl] / ˈbyu tə fəl /

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 British  
/ ˈbjuːtɪfʊl /

adjective

  1. possessing beauty; aesthetically pleasing

  2. highly enjoyable; very pleasant

    the party was beautiful

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

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

Etymology

Origin of beautiful

First recorded in 1520–30; beauty + -ful

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.

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

From 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.

From 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.

From BBC

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Salon

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.