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BNC: 1782 COCA: 797

pretty

1 of 4

adjective

pret·​ty ˈpri-tē How to pronounce pretty (audio) ˈpər- How to pronounce pretty (audio)
 also  ˈpru̇-
prettier; prettiest
1
a
b
: pat, apt
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
3
a
: miserable, terrible
a pretty mess you've gotten us into
b
chiefly Scotland : stout
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
prettily
ˈpri-tə-lē How to pronounce pretty (audio)
ˈpər-
 also  ˈpru̇-
adverb
prettyish
ˈpri-tē-ish How to pronounce pretty (audio)
ˈpər-
 also  ˈpru̇-
adjective

pretty

2 of 4

adverb

pret·​ty ˈpri-tē How to pronounce pretty (audio) ˈpər- How to pronounce pretty (audio)
 also  ˈpru̇-;
 before "near(ly)" often  ˈpərt,
 or  ˈprit,
 or  ˈpru̇t
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
Using Pretty as an Adverb: Usage Guide

Some handbooks complain that pretty is overworked and recommend the selection of a more specific word or advise that pretty should be restricted 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 The Times Literary Supplement (London)

pretty

3 of 4

noun

pret·​ty ˈpri-tē How to pronounce pretty (audio) ˈpər- How to pronounce pretty (audio)
 also  ˈpru̇-
plural pretties
1
pretties plural : dainty clothes
especially : lingerie
2
: a pretty person or thing

pretty

4 of 4

verb

pret·​ty ˈpri-tē How to pronounce pretty (audio) ˈpər- How to pronounce pretty (audio)
 also  ˈpru̇-
prettied; prettying

transitive verb

: to make pretty
usually used with up
curtains to pretty up the room
Phrases
pretty much
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Example Sentences

Adjective 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 He made a pretty profit selling his antique car. She received a pretty sum of money. Adverb 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 “Did you put the keys on the table?” “I'm pretty sure I did.” The teams are pretty equally matched. The work is pretty hard. I have to leave pretty soon. The movie was pretty good but not great. They've accomplished some pretty amazing things. She was driving pretty fast. Verb She prettied the cake with icing, sprinkles, and nuts. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
But that was not pretty, The effort is there, not the execution. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2022 Even though my manicure has completely chipped down to horrendous flecks of holographic teal, Camo peers down at them and tells me the color is pretty — as if my nails are also a purposeful aesthetic choice. Devon Abelman, Allure, 1 Sep. 2022 The new cast is pretty, but vacant, and the plot lines are weird and dull, sinking the reboot like a lead balloon on the steps of the Met. Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 29 Aug. 2022 The result isn’t pretty: On a year-over-year basis, existing home sales and new home sales are down 20.2% and 29.6%, respectively. Lance Lambert, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2022 Every work of art that hangs on a museum wall has a story behind it, and that story isn’t always pretty. Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2022 Anyone looking for their new go-to swimsuit needs to check out Amazon's secret Outlet store that's bursting with bright, pretty, and fun bathing suits — and picks are up to 50 percent off right now. Sanah Faroke, PEOPLE.com, 24 Apr. 2022 The game wasn’t pretty, and didn’t feature many of either team’s key players. Omar Kelly, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2022 The sight is not pretty and gives good reason why politicians, and politics generally, are often held in richly deserved contempt by many Americans. Joseph Epstein, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022
Adverb
Hawk is on the side of the good guys and seems to be a pretty good kid again. Evan Romano, Men's Health, 11 Sep. 2022 Thursday looks pretty good, too, as mostly sunny and dry conditions continue. Molly Robey, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2022 Suze: There’s a ton of Suze competitors, and most of them are pretty good. Jason O'bryan, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2022 Watch out, because this offense can be pretty good. Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Luckily for us, Morgan is pretty good with a brush. Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2022 Annoying news content also shows up in the new tab page in Microsoft Edge (which is pretty good otherwise). Justin Pot, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2022 There’s a pretty good chance the best player on Hillary Park’s Grossmont High girl tennis team is — coach Hillary Park. Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2022 The Bears looked pretty good in a win over UC Davis and have a chance to move to 2-0 before a Week 3 game at Notre Dame. Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 7 Sep. 2022
Noun
This drive along the northern New England coast takes just over three hours, but is filled with charm: think endless beaches, fishing harbors, artist colonies, and postcard-pretty villages clinging to the edge of the water. Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2020 Most people seem to agree — the bartenders have a habit of making the drinks in a pretty row at the bar, in the style of the Irish coffee pros at Buena Vista Cafe. Soleil Ho, SFChronicle.com, 29 Aug. 2019 That was 2013 and the beginning of the time when models who weren’t cookie-cutter-pretty were getting booked. Amanda Fitzsimons, Glamour, 1 June 2018 For my mom, who still keeps her recipes on index cards, this beyond-pretty box. Meredith Rollins, Redbook, 1 Dec. 2013 Pretty late in the game for a free agent to be looking for a new ride. Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, 14 July 2017 Wick’s Pizza, 12717 Shelbyville Road, 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 18 (Prism Petals); 975 Baxter Ave., 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 19 (Pretty Plumes). The Courier-Journal, 12 July 2017 Pretty says he's known for having a sense of humor on his spots, and people seeing it all over the country wouldn't be aware of that. Luke O'neil, Esquire, 29 June 2017
Verb
Like other quarantine micro-trends—sourdough starters, for one—the drink grew popular online for being both easy to make and pretty to photograph. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 29 Apr. 2020 In other words, despite the gaping asymmetries of information between the industry and the public, brokerages still shell out big-time to pretty up their BrokerCheck reputations. Gwynn Guilford, Quartz, 3 Mar. 2020 While all real estate is local, as the saying goes, the one constant is that February is the month when the spring market looms and sellers nationwide begin prettying their properties and readying them to list. Katy Mclaughlin, WSJ, 20 Feb. 2020 Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa—what kind of animal spends all their waking hours prettying up their vehicle and then stores it in the air? Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2019 The backdrop of drab civic office buildings is being prettied up with dozens of massive murals from some of the city’s resident artists. Gregory Thomas, SFChronicle.com, 22 Aug. 2019 The use of filters can help signal a benign post: People don’t tend to pretty up their victimizing. Katy Steinmetz, Time, 8 July 2019 The Ugly Other games that are not as beautifulVerdict: Lots of stuff to do and pretty things to look at, but few fresh ideas. Daniel Starkey, Ars Technica, 4 Oct. 2018 One of the ideas envisioned by Vivo is to take in a full body scan of a person and then feed that information to a beautification AI that would more intelligently and proportionately pretty you up. Vlad Savov, The Verge, 27 June 2018 See More

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Adverb, Noun, and Verb

Middle English praty, prety, from Old English prættig tricky, from prætt trick; akin to Old Norse prettr trick

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pretty was before the 12th century

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