pretty

II. pretty² S2 W3 BrE AmE adjective (comparative prettier, superlative prettiest)
[Language: Old English; Origin: prættig 'tricky', from prætt 'trick']
1. a woman or child who is pretty has a nice attractive face:
a pretty little girl
Maria looks much prettier with her hair cut short.
2. something that is pretty is pleasant to look at or listen to but is not impressive:
a pretty dress
The tune is pretty.
What a pretty little garden!
3. not a pretty sight very unpleasant to look at – sometimes used humorously:
After a night’s drinking, Al was not a pretty sight.
4. not just a pretty face spoken used humorously to say that someone is intelligent, when people think this is surprising:
I’m not just a pretty face, you know!
5. come to a pretty pass old-fashioned used to say that a very bad situation has developed:
Things have come to a pretty pass, if you can’t say what you think without causing a fight.
6. cost a pretty penny old-fashioned to cost a lot of money
7. pretty as a picture old-fashioned very pretty
—prettily adverb:
Charlotte sang very prettily.
—prettiness noun [uncountable]

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

adjective (pret·tier, pret·ti·est)
1. (especially of a woman, or a girl) attractive without being very beautiful
• a pretty face
• a pretty little girl

• You look so pretty in that dress!

2. (of places or things) attractive and pleasant to look at or to listen to without being large, beautiful or impressive
• pretty clothes
• a pretty garden
• a pretty name
more at come to a pretty pass at pass _n.
Word Origin:
Old English prættig; related to Middle Dutch pertich ‘brisk, clever’, obsolete Dutch prettig ‘humorous, sporty’, from a West Germanic base meaning ‘trick’. The sense development ‘deceitful, cunning, clever, skilful, admirable, pleasing, nice’ has parallels in adjectives such as canny, fine, nice, etc.
Thesaurus:
pretty adj.
1.
• She's a very pretty girl.
beautiful • • attractive • • good-looking • • striking • • handsome • |especially BrE lovely • |informal gorgeous • • stunning • |especially AmE, informal cute •
Opp: plain
a/an pretty/beautiful/attractive/good-looking/striking/handsome/lovely/gorgeous/stunning/cute girl/woman
a/an pretty/beautiful/attractive/good-looking/handsome/lovely/gorgeous/cute boy
a/an pretty/beautiful/attractive/good-looking/striking/handsome/lovely/cute face
2.
• Lydia— what a pretty name!
beautiful • • attractive • • picturesque • • scenic • • charming • • exquisite • |especially BrE lovely •
a/an pretty/beautiful/attractive/picturesque/charming place/town/village
a/an pretty/beautiful/attractive/exquisite/lovely design
a/an pretty/beautiful/attractive/charming/exquisite/lovely voice
Synonyms:
beautiful
pretty • handsome • attractive • lovely • good-looking • gorgeous
These words all describe people who are pleasant to look at.
beautiful • (especially of a woman or girl) very pleasant to look at: ▪ She looked stunningly beautiful that night.
pretty • (especially of a girl or woman) pleasant to look at: ▪ She's got a very pretty face.
Pretty is used most often to talk about girls. When it is used to talk about a woman, it usually suggests that she is like a girl, with small, delicate features.
handsome • (of a man) pleasant to look at; (of a woman) pleasant to look at, with large strong features rather than small delicate ones: ▪ He was described as ‘ ▪ tall, dark and handsome ▪ ’.
attractive • (of a person) pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way: ▪ She's a very attractive woman.
lovely • (of a person) beautiful; very attractive: ▪ She looked particularly lovely that night.
When you describe sb as lovely, you are usually showing that you also have a strong feeling of affection for them.
good-looking • (of a person) pleasant to look at, often in a sexual way: ▪ She arrived with a very good-looking man.
gorgeous • (informal) (of a person) extremely attractive, especially in a sexual way: ▪ You look gorgeous!
attractive or good-looking?
If you describe sb as attractive you often also mean that they have a pleasant personality as well as being pleasant to look at; good-looking just describes sb's physical appearance.
a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking/gorgeous girl/woman
a(n) beautiful/handsome/attractive/good-looking/gorgeous boy/man
a(n) beautiful/pretty/handsome/attractive/lovely/good-looking face
Example Bank:
• She's very attractive, though not conventionally pretty.
• ‘I didn't know you could play the piano.’ ‘I'm not just a pretty face, you know!’
• A pretty little girl was standing in the doorway.
• Lydia— what a pretty name!
• She's got a very pretty face.
• That's a pretty flower— what's it called?

• You should have seen him in his swimming trunks— not a pretty sight!

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

pretty / ˈprɪt.i / / ˈprɪt̬- / adjective

A2 pleasant to look at, or (especially of girls or women or things connected with them) attractive or pleasant in a delicate way:

That's a pretty hat you're wearing.

The sofa was covered in very pretty flowery material.

She's got such a pretty daughter.

prettiness / -nəs / noun [ U ]

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

pretty

/prɪti/
(prettier, prettiest)

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.

1.
If you describe someone, especially a girl, as pretty, you mean that they look nice and are attractive in a delicate way.
She’s a very charming and very pretty girl.
ADJ
• pret‧ti‧ly
She smiled again, prettily.
ADV
• pret‧ti‧ness
Her prettiness had been much admired.
N-UNCOUNT

2.
A place or a thing that is pretty is attractive and pleasant, in a charming but not particularly unusual way.
Whitstable is still a very pretty little town.
ADJ
• pret‧ti‧ly
The living-room was prettily decorated.
ADV
• pret‧ti‧ness
...shells of quite unbelievable prettiness.
N-UNCOUNT

3.
You can use pretty before an adjective or adverb to mean ‘quite’ or ‘rather’. (INFORMAL)
I had a pretty good idea what she was going to do...
Pretty soon after my arrival I found lodgings.
ADV: ADV adj/adv

4.
Pretty much or pretty well means ‘almost’. (INFORMAL)
His new government looks pretty much like the old one...
PHRASE

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹pret·ty /ˈprɪti/ adj pret·ti·er; -est [also more ~; most ~]
1 a : attractive to look at usually in a simple or delicate way
• a pretty dress
• pretty flowers
- used especially of a girl or woman
• She has a pretty face.
• I've never seen her looking so happy or so pretty.
b : pleasant to look at or listen to
• a pretty sunset/room/voice/name/poem
• That song is pretty. = That's a pretty song. synonyms seebeautiful
2 always used before a noun : large or impressive
• He made a pretty profit selling his antique car.
• She received a pretty sum of money.
3 : pleasant to see or experience
• What a pretty [=nice] day.
- usually used in negative statements
• The game wasn't pretty but at least we won.
• It isn't going to be pretty when the mayor finds out his son has been arrested.
• The kitchen was not a pretty sight [=the kitchen was very messy] after we finished making breakfast.
4 always used before a noun old-fashioned : very unpleasant
• What a pretty [=terrible] mess you've gotten us into!
• a pretty [=miserable] state of affairs
a pretty penny
- see penny
(as) pretty as a picture old-fashioned : very attractive or pleasant to look at : very pretty
• She is as pretty as a picture!
pretty face
✦Someone who is not just a/another pretty face or more than (just) a pretty face is attractive but also has other good qualities, such as intelligence.
• If he wants to get people to vote for him, he's got to prove he's more than just a pretty face.