pretty
adj.adj. pleasant to look at, usually in a delicate or graceful way. You use this to describe people, places, or things that are attractive but not necessarily grand or powerful.
adj. pleasing or attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful or impressive. Often carries a diminutive connotation compared to 'beautiful' or 'stunning'.
She wore a pretty dress to the party.
The garden is full of pretty flowers that bloom early in the spring.
While the cottage was undeniably pretty with its thatched roof and rose garden, the interior required extensive structural repairs to meet modern safety standards.
From Middle English prety, preti, praty, prati, from Old English prættiġ (“tricky, crafty, sly, cunning, wily, astute”), from Proto-West Germanic prattug, from Proto-Germanic prattugaz (“boastful, sly, slick, deceitful, tricky, cunning”), corresponding to prat (“trick”) + -y. Doublet of pratty. Cognate with Dutch prettig (“nice, pleasant”), Low German prettig (“funny”), Icelandic prettugur (“deceitful, tricky”). For the semantic development, compare canny, clever, cute.
Typically precedes the noun it modifies or follows a linking verb.
- 01
just another pretty face
Someone who is attractive, but not too distinguished in other areas.
- 02
not a pretty sight
Something disappointing, disquieting, disreputable, or otherwise unworthy of admiration.
- 03
not just a pretty face
Something that is more useful, versatile, or intrinsically valuable than might be assumed.