Pretty
adj.joyful, calmeveryday
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.
Choose between these
5- warm
where distinctive character creates the attraction
not when Charming concerns appeal and personality more than surface beauty.
- warm
to express affectionate pleasure in someone's appearance or a scene
not when Lovely adds personal warmth and can praise experiences as well as looks.
- professional
when general visual appeal matters without suggesting delicacy
not when Attractive is broader and can praise forceful or dramatic looks.
- literary
if small scale and delicate refinement are central
not when Calling an adult dainty can come across as patronizing.
- literary
for scenery whose irregular details would make an appealing picture
not when Picturesque rarely suits a person's appearance and often implies a setting.
Said against
3- ugly
- unattractive
- plain
It naturally appears in
3- pretty face
A pretty face appeared in the mural beneath layers of old paint.
- pretty garden
The pretty garden mixed white roses with herbs and vegetables.
- pretty pattern
A pretty pattern of leaves framed the handwritten title.
Where this comes from
- wiktionary, English adjective sense: pleasing in appearance opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.