beauty
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).
a beautiful person, especially a woman.
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.
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.
relating to or being something intended to enhance a person’s physical attractiveness: They have a wonderful handcrafted line of natural beauty products, including soaps, lip balm, scented oils, and moisturizer.Make time for yourself and book a relaxing beauty treatment in our first-class spa.
Origin of beauty
1word story For beauty
The progression of the various senses is: “(especially of a woman) physical attractiveness, grace, charm” (early 14th century); “(general) moral or intellectual excellence” (late 14th century); “(of a physical object) pleasing to the sight” and “a pleasing or beautiful quality” (both from the 15th century).
The colloquial, sometimes ironic sense, especially in the shortened noun beaut, “someone or something extraordinary, remarkable, or amazing,” was originally an Americanism dating to the first half of the 19th century.
Other words for beauty
| 1 | loveliness, comeliness, pulchritude, attractiveness, allure |
| 2 | belle |
Opposites for beauty
| 1 | ugliness |
Other words from beauty
- non·beau·ty, noun, plural non·beau·ties.
Words Nearby beauty
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use beauty in a sentence
There’s a clear trend away from gendered anything these days—clothes, beauty products, pronouns.
Bacardi’s ‘by women, for women’ vodka is a pandemic-era branding blunder | ehinchliffe | July 23, 2020 | FortuneOn the surface, this seems reasonable — swapping out Black pain for Black beauty.
Representation is deeper than putting Black icons on magazine covers | Fabiola Cineas | July 23, 2020 | VoxA disappointment became an opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of a place we could access through general aviation.
Flying over mountains isn’t as scary (or hard) as you might think | By Julie Boatman/Flying Mag | July 22, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThis modestly upscale dermaplaning wand is designed for people who want the quality of a salon device but are seeking beauty upgrades on a budget.
That’s the beauty of why we’ve presented it the way we have.
The keeping of the Star-Spangled Banner: A story of emblematic resilience | John Barrat | July 4, 2017 | The Smithsonian Insider
If you read the reactions, she was billed as ‘beauty and Brains.’
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America? | Emily Shire | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHer Miss America win transcended mere superficial beauty standards.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America? | Emily Shire | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAlso, she was tall and thin, too, further adding to the ways she met the physical beauty conventions.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America? | Emily Shire | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThere was so much beauty, talent, potential, and most importantly, honesty in your work.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen | Parker Molloy | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThere was something beautiful about this, and I still see that beauty.
Random Hook-Ups or Dry Spells: Why Millennials Flunk College Dating | Ellie Schaack | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTA flash of surprise and pleasure lit the fine eyes of the haughty beauty perched up there on the palace wall.
The Red Year | Louis TracyLet the thought of self pass in, and the beauty of great action is gone, like the bloom from a soiled flower.
Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. BallouThe beauty, the mystery,—this fierce sunshine or something—stir——' She hesitated for a fraction of a second.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodThy eye desireth favour and beauty, but more than these green sown fields.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousSir Cadge was about the same age as the famous beauty, and rose quite two inches above her lofty head.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
British Dictionary definitions for beauty
/ (ˈbjuːtɪ) /
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, old-fashioned a light-hearted and affectionate term of address: hello, my old beauty!
(NZ ˈbjuːdɪ) an expression of approval or agreement: Also (Scot, Austral, and NZ): you beauty
Origin of beauty
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with beauty
In addition to the idiom beginning with beauty
- beauty is only skin deep
also see:
- that's the beauty of
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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