# pretty

/ˈpɹɪti/ (US) · /pɹˈɪti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pretty
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. attractive

adjective · CEFR A1

pleasant to look at, especially used for women, children, or small objects.

For teachers: aesthetically pleasing or attractive, typically applied to women, children, or smaller items rather than masculine or grand subjects.

- She wore a pretty floral dress to the garden party.
- The cottage was surrounded by a pretty garden filled with lavender and wild roses, making it a popular spot for local photographers.

### 2. quite or fairly

adverb · CEFR A1 · Informal

to a medium degree; quite but not extremely.

For teachers: a degree adverb indicating a moderate but significant extent; often functions as a softener or, through meiosis, as an intensifier.

- The exam was pretty difficult, but I think I passed.
- The results were pretty impressive considering the team had only three weeks to prepare the entire presentation from scratch.

### 3. formatted code

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

describes computer code that is easy to read because it is organized well.

For teachers: referring to source code that has been formatted according to standard syntax and indentation rules to improve human readability.

- I used a tool to make the code look pretty before sharing it.
- The developer insisted on using a pretty-printer to ensure the nested JSON structures remained legible for the rest of the engineering team.

### 4. considerable amount

adjective · CEFR B2

a large or significant amount of something, like money.

For teachers: denoting a considerable or significant quantity or sum; often used with 'penny' or 'sum'.

- That new car must have cost a pretty penny.
- The restoration of the Victorian manor cost a pretty sum, far exceeding the initial estimates provided by the contractors.

### 5. to make attractive

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to make someone or something look more attractive.

For teachers: to beautify or improve the appearance of something; usually followed by the particle 'up'.

- They tried to pretty up the old office with some new paint and plants.
- The city council attempted to pretty up the industrial district before the international delegates arrived for the summit.

Usage: Usually appears as the phrasal verb 'pretty up'.

### 6. unpleasant (ironic)

adjective · CEFR C1 · Informal

used in a sarcastic way to mean a situation is actually very bad or difficult.

For teachers: employed ironically to describe a situation that is actually awkward, troublesome, or unpleasant.

- Well, this is a pretty mess we've gotten ourselves into.
- The company found itself in a pretty predicament after the main server failed during the peak holiday shopping hours.

## Examples

- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.