First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
1pretty
adjective pret·ty \ˈpri-tē, ˈpər- also ˈpru̇-\
: attractive to look at usually in a simple or delicate way
: pleasant to look at or listen to
: large or impressive
pret·ti·erpret·ti·est
Full Definition of PRETTY
2
a : pleasing by delicacy or grace b : having conventionally accepted elements of beauty c : appearing or sounding pleasant or nice but lacking strength, force, manliness, purpose, or intensity <pretty words that make no sense — Elizabeth B. Browning>
4
: moderately large : considerable <a very pretty profit> <cost a pretty penny>
5
: easy to enjoy : pleasant —usually used in negative constructions <reality is not so pretty — Caleb Solomon>
— pret·ti·ly \-tə-lē\ adverb
— pret·ty·ish \-tē-ish\ adjective
See pretty defined for English-language learners
See pretty defined for kids
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Examples of PRETTY
- This white shape stood apart by the hedge alone. From her position he knew it to be the pretty maiden with whom he had not danced. Trifling as the matter was, he yet instinctively felt that she was hurt by his oversight. —Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, 1891
- Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure. Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much. —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, 1813
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Origin of PRETTY
Middle English praty, prety, from Old English prættig tricky, from prætt trick; akin to Old Norse prettr trick
Related to PRETTY
- Synonyms
- agreeable, blessed (also blest), congenial, darling, delectable, delicious, delightful, delightsome, dreamy, dulcet, enjoyable, felicitous, good, grateful, gratifying, heavenly, jolly, luscious, nice, palatable, pleasing, pleasurable, pleasant, satisfying, savory (also savoury), sweet, tasty, welcome
- Antonyms
- disagreeable, pleasureless, unpalatable, unpleasant, unwelcome
Synonym Discussion of PRETTY
beautiful, lovely, handsome, pretty, comely, fair mean exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure. beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses <beautiful mountain scenery>. lovely is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite <a lovely melody>. handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance <a handsome Georgian mansion>. pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness <a painter of conventionally pretty scenes>. comely is like handsome in suggesting what is coolly approved rather than emotionally responded to <the comely grace of a dancer>. fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness <fair of face>.
2pretty
adverb pret·ty \ˈpri-tē, ˈpər- also ˈpru̇-; before “near(ly)” often ˈpərt or ˈprit or ˈpru̇t\
: to some degree or extent but not very or extremely
: to a great degree or extent
Full Definition of PRETTY
1
a : in some degree : moderately <pretty cold weather> b : quite, mainly <the wound was…pretty bad — Walt Whitman>
2
: in a gracefully pleasing manner : prettily <pop vocalists who can sing pretty — Gerald Levitch>
See pretty defined for English-language learners
Usage Discussion of PRETTY
Some handbooks complain that pretty is overworked and recommend the selection of a more specific word or restrict pretty to informal or colloquial contexts. Pretty is used to tone down a statement and is in wide use across the whole spectrum of English. It is common in informal speech and writing but is neither rare nor wrong in serious discourse <he may, if he be pretty well off or clever, qualify himself as a doctor — G. B. Shaw> <a return to those traditions of American foreign policy which worked pretty well for over a century — H. S. Commager> <the arguments for buying expensive books have to be pretty cogent — Times Literary Supplement>
Examples of PRETTY
- By taunting the police, beating drums and throwing rocks, the rioters make it pretty clear that they want not a rational debate but the world's attention … —Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2001
- … I could pretty much go wherever I felt a story led … —Roy Blount, Jr., New York Times Book Review, 9 Mar. 1986
- … regards most of us as pretty irrevocably plunged in illusion. —Iris Murdoch, The Fire and the Sun, 1977
- The reflected radiance served to show, pretty distinctly, the aspect and arrangement of the room which Hepzibah entered, after descending the stairs. —Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of Seven Gables, 1851
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Origin of PRETTY
(see 1pretty)
First Known Use: 1565
Related to PRETTY
- Synonyms
- enough, kindly [chiefly Southern], kind of, like, moderately, more or less, fairly, quite, rather, relatively, something, somewhat, sort of
3pretty
noun pret·ty \ˈpri-tē, ˈpər- also ˈpru̇-\
plural pretties
Definition of PRETTY
1
plural : dainty clothes; especially : lingerie
2
: a pretty person or thing
Origin of PRETTY
(see 1pretty)
First Known Use: 1736
4pretty
verb pret·ty \ˈpri-tē, ˈpər- also ˈpru̇-\
: to make (something) pretty
pret·tiedpret·ty·ing
Full Definition of PRETTY
transitive verb
: to make pretty —usually used with up <curtains to pretty up the room>
See pretty defined for English-language learners
Origin of PRETTY
(see 1pretty)
First Known Use: 1909
PRETTYISH Defined for Kids
1pretty
adjective pret·ty \ˈpri-tē\
pret·ti·erpret·ti·est
Definition of PRETTY for Kids
: pleasing to the eye or ear especially because of being graceful or delicate <a pretty face> <a pretty tune>
— pret·ti·ly \ˈpri-tə-lē\ adverb
— pret·ti·ness \ˈpri-tē-nəs\ noun
2pretty
adverb
Definition of PRETTY for Kids
: in some degree : fairly <pretty good>
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