pleasant
Americanadjective
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pleasing, agreeable, or enjoyable; giving pleasure.
pleasant news.
- Synonyms:
- gratifying, welcome
-
(of persons, manners, disposition, etc.) socially acceptable or adept; polite; amiable; agreeable.
- Synonyms:
- friendly, congenial, delightful
-
fair, as weather.
a pleasant summer day.
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Archaic. lively, sprightly, or merry.
-
Obsolete. jocular or facetious.
adjective
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giving or affording pleasure; enjoyable
-
having pleasing or agreeable manners, appearance, habits, etc
-
obsolete merry and lively
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pleasant
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English plesaunt, from Old French plaisant, originally present participle of plaisir “to please”; equivalent to please + -ant
Explanation
Something pleasant is nice or enjoyable. Usually, a picnic in the park is considered a pleasant activity. Pleasant is a word for things that are pleasing: ice cream is considered pleasant by most people. A second meaning refers to a person who is polite or agreeable. People who have good manners, give compliments, smile often are considered more pleasant than someone who screams and curses all the time. This word is often used for weather: clear skies and warm temperatures are signs of pleasant weather. Still, different weather (and other things) will be pleasant to different people.
Vocabulary lists containing pleasant
Be Nice!
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
If pleasant contentment is guaranteed if you just stay put, why take the risk?
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
PIDDINGTON, England—This quiet Oxfordshire village boasts a 14th-century church, a small village hall, quaint thatched roofs and pleasant countryside walks in rolling hills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Participants rated its smell as more pleasant than either dark chocolate or water, but the aroma did not significantly change their hunger or appetite.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
The Guardian's review, external agreed and called the trio a "decent, if slightly anonymous, presence" who seem "quite meek and pleasant, and without any obvious dynamic".
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
“You seem a good and agile worker and very pleasant to talk to. I think you would make a very nice addition to our home.”
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
