Pretty
What it means
Attractive through delicate, graceful, or pleasing details.
Reach for it when describing approachable beauty without the grandeur of stronger praise
Pretty tiles formed a blue border around the restored fountain.
Words to choose between 5
| everyday |
|
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| literary |
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warm
Fits when where distinctive character creates the attraction
Careful Charming concerns appeal and personality more than surface beauty.
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warm
Fits when to express affectionate pleasure in someone's appearance or a scene
Careful Lovely adds personal warmth and can praise experiences as well as looks.
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professional
Fits when general visual appeal matters without suggesting delicacy
Careful Attractive is broader and can praise forceful or dramatic looks.
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literary
Fits if small scale and delicate refinement are central
Careful Calling an adult dainty can come across as patronizing.
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literary
Suits scenery whose irregular details would make an appealing picture
Careful Picturesque rarely suits a person's appearance and often implies a setting.
Opposites 3
- ugly
- unattractive
- plain
Common phrases 3
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pretty face
A pretty face appeared in the mural beneath layers of old paint.
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pretty garden
The pretty garden mixed white roses with herbs and vegetables.
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pretty pattern
A pretty pattern of leaves framed the handwritten title.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated