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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.

He was a beautiful footballer who could play with both feet, terrific ability.

From BBC

“It’s these beautiful personal development messages that Santa gets to be the conduit for.”

From Los Angeles Times

“After a beautiful life filled with laughter, love, family, and friends, we share the heartbreaking news of the death of Pat Finn,” Finn’s family said in a statement to multiple outlets.

From Los Angeles Times

“I want to talk about how beautiful life is,” Remley said in the video.

From Los Angeles Times

But over the course of their careers the pair made such a beautiful noise that they entertained many thousands of people.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.