pretty

[ prit-ee ]

/ ˈprɪt i /

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See synonyms for: pretty / prettied / prettier / prettiest on Thesaurus.com

adjective, pret·ti·er, pret·ti·est.

pleasing or attractive to the eye, as by delicacy or gracefulness: a pretty face.

(of things, places, etc.) pleasing to the eye, especially without grandeur.

pleasing to the ear: a pretty tune.

pleasing to the mind or aesthetic taste: He writes pretty little stories.

(often used ironically) fine; grand: This is a pretty mess!

Informal. considerable; fairly great: This accident will cost him a pretty sum.

Archaic or Scot. brave; hardy.

noun, plural pret·ties.

Usually pretties. pretty ornaments, clothes, etc.

a pretty person: Sit down, my pretty.

adverb

fairly or moderately: Her work was pretty good.

quite; very: The wind blew pretty hard.

Informal. prettily.

verb (used with object), pret·tied, pret·ty·ing.

to make pretty; improve the appearance of (sometimes followed by up): to pretty oneself for a party; to pretty up a room.

OTHER WORDS FOR pretty

1 attractive.

2-4 pleasant.

10 somewhat.

See synonyms for pretty on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR pretty

1 ugly.

See antonyms for pretty on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about pretty

sitting pretty, Informal.

in an advantageous position.
well-to-do; successful.

Origin of pretty

before 1000; Middle English prati(e), pratte, prettie cunning, gallant, fine, handsome, pretty; Old English prættig, prettī cunning, derivative of prǣtt a trick, wile (cognate with Dutch part, pret trick, prank, Old Norse prettr trick, prettugr tricky)

usage note for pretty

The qualifying adverb pretty, meaning “fairly or moderately” has been in general use since the late 16th century. Although most common in informal speech and writing, it is far from restricted to them, and often is less stilted than alternatives such as relatively, moderately, and quite.

OTHER WORDS FROM pretty

pret·ti·ly, adverbpret·ti·ness, nounpret·ty·ish, adjectiveun·pret·ti·ly, adverb

un·pret·ti·ness, nounun·pret·ty, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pretty in a sentence

Staying in great mental shape for these next two to three games has been pretty difficult.
Navy will host Memphis and Tulsa to make up games postponed by coronavirus issues|Kareem Copeland|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Turns out none of us is superhuman, although Terri and Robert Abbe, a San Francisco investment banker, fake it pretty well.
On mountain bikes in the Utah desert, a college reunion like no other|John Briley|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Any chance of Baltimore’s Grand Central nightclub ever reopening after the pandemic was pretty much wiped out over the weekend, as a work crew cleared out its contents to make way for construction of an office building called City House Charles.
Workers remove contents of Baltimore’s Grand Central nightclub|Ed Gunts|November 19, 2020|Washington Blade
We are using our software, or any 3D software, to design and engineer those machines and it worked pretty well.
Leveraging collective intelligence and AI to benefit society|Jason Sparapani|November 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review

It’s got a pretty strong job market that is drawing people from other states.
How Georgia Turned Blue|Perry Bacon Jr. (perry.bacon@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 18, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The room was prettily furnished, and Georgie had often accused herself of extravagance.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The trees are sometimes prettily arranged in alleys, but are planted far less for ornament than for use.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
It is extremely delicate and prettily formed, and is distinguished by narrow dark-brown stripes along the back.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
She stamped her foot prettily, imperiously, vexed at my refusal to go out of that weird place the way I had entered.
Valley of the Croen|Lee Tarbell
The outside was very prettily painted for the occasion—Venus commemorating her birth from the ocean.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney

British Dictionary definitions for pretty

pretty

/ (ˈprɪtɪ) /

adjective -tier or -tiest

pleasing or appealing in a delicate or graceful way

dainty, neat, or charming

commendable; good of its kindhe replied with a pretty wit

informal, often ironic excellent, grand, or finehere's a pretty mess!

informal lacking in masculinity; effeminate; foppish

Scot vigorous or brave

an archaic word for elegant

a pretty penny informal a large sum of money

sitting pretty informal well placed or established financially, socially, etc

noun plural -ties

a pretty person or thing

adverb

informal fairly or moderately; somewhat

informal quite or very

verb -ties, -tying or -tied

(tr often foll by up) to make pretty; adorn

Derived forms of pretty

prettily, adverbprettiness, noun

Word Origin for pretty

Old English prættig clever; related to Middle Low German prattich obstinate, Dutch prettig glad, Old Norse prettugr cunning

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with pretty

pretty

In addition to the idioms beginning with pretty

pretty as a picture
pretty much
pretty penny, a

also see:

in a fix (pretty pickle)
kettle of fish, pretty
sitting pretty

pretty

OTHER WORDS FOR pretty

OPPOSITES FOR pretty

Idioms about pretty

Origin of pretty

usage note for pretty

OTHER WORDS FROM pretty

Words related to pretty

How to use pretty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pretty

Derived forms of pretty

Word Origin for pretty

Other Idioms and Phrases with pretty