a woman or girl admired for her beauty and charm.
the most beautiful, charming, or engaging woman or girl among a number.
the belle of the ball.
a beautiful girl or woman
the most attractive or admired girl or woman at a place, function, etc (esp in the phrase the belle of the ball )
1615–25; < French; Old French bele < Latin bella, feminine of bellus fine, good-looking. See beau
A belle is a young woman singled out for being more attractive and charming than other women, as in the phrase belle of the ball. Cinderella was the belle of the ball, at least until midnight. Belle comes from the Latin bella for “beautiful.” If you ever hear a woman being called a belle, it has nothing to do with ringing; she's super foxy. A Southern Belle is a lovely girl from the South, like Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind. A belle can be from anywhere, though, as long as she stands out. A belle has rivals, but she is more attractive and desirable. The belle is a little like the prom queen.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In his quest to transform Kimberly-Clark to an engine of growth and a true challenger in the beauty and wellness space, he said he always considered Kenvue to be “the belle of the ball.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025
Once the press gets wind that Mary’s marriage has ended, the gossip is relentless, and the one-time belle of the ball can’t rustle up so much as a small tea party.
From Salon • Sep. 14, 2025
Many of them were built in the early 20th century - grand belle epoque palaces serving a then emerging class of privileged, primarily English tourists.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2025
An hour later in a slightly sweaty hotel ballroom bedecked with “Unionize California” signs, Friedman was being treated like the belle of the ball at the California Labor Federation’s annual awards dinner.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2024
The woman was dressed like a Southern belle, just as Jason had described.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
