beautiful
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: byo͞oʹtĭ-fəl
ipa: /ˈbjuːtɪ.fəl/
ipa: /ˈbjuːtɪ.fʊl/
ipa: /ˈbju.tɪ.fəl/
ipa: [bju.ɾə.fəl]
Forms: form: more beautiful
form: most beautiful
Etymology: From Middle English bewteful, beautefull (“attractive to the eye, beautiful”), equivalent to beauty + -ful. In this sense, largely displaced Old English fæġer (whence fair).
Senses: examples: text: Anyone who has ever met her thought she was absolutely beautiful.
text: There's a beautiful lake by the town.
text: “Is Olga de Coude very beautiful?” she asked. And Tarzan laughed and kissed her again. “Not one-tenth so beautiful as you, dear,” he said.
ref: 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 214:
text: It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.
ref: 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
text: It is a beautiful kitchen! — It is beautiful.
ref: 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain):
glosses: Possessing beauty, impressing the eye; attractive.
examples: text: the house beautiful
glosses: Possessing beauty, impressing the eye; attractive.
Used emphatically or ironically, after the noun it qualifies.
examples: text: He was a beautiful person; he would drop everything to help you.
text: You've done a beautiful thing today.
glosses: That one likes very much.
examples: text: Beethoven's most beautiful sonata
text: It's beautiful outside, let's go for a walk.
text: These carnations smell beautiful but those daffodils smell funny.
glosses: Affording pleasure to any of the senses, especially that of hearing; delightful.
examples: text: The skater performed a beautiful axel.
glosses: Impressing with charm in an intellectual or moral way, through inherent suitability or elegance.
Synonyms: sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: beauteous
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: attractive
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: cute
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: fair
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: good-looking
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: gorgeous
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: sheen
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: handsome
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: hot
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: lovely
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: nice-looking
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: pretty
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: shapely
sense: possessing charm and attractive
word: fit
sense: of the weather
word: clear
sense: of the weather
word: fine
sense: of the weather
word: nice
sense: of the weather
word: pleasant
sense: of the weather
word: sunny
sense: well executed
word: excellent
sense: well executed
word: exceptional
sense: well executed
word: good
sense: well executed
word: great
sense: well executed
word: marvellous
sense: well executed
word: marvelous
sense: well executed
word: perfect
sense: well executed
word: stylish
sense: well executed
word: wonderful
sense: ironic: how unfortunate
word: great
word: marvellous
word: marvelous
word: nice
word: very nice
english: any of these can be prefixed with an intensifier such as bloody, damned or just
translation: any of these can be prefixed with an intensifier such as bloody, damned or just
word: wonderful
word: beautifool
word: beautiful
word: beautimous
word: bona vardering
word: bonnie
word: breathtaking
word: captivating
word: comely
word: esculent
word: exquisite
word: fetching
word: fine-looking
word: good enough to eat
word: knockout
word: lovesome
word: lustrious
word: personable
word: physically attractive
word: prettiful
word: pulchritudinous
word: sightly
word: stunning
word: swanlike
word: well-favoured
word: winsome
Hyponyms: word: gorgeous
word: hot
word: ravishing
word: sexy
word: Junoesque
word: Venuslike
word: Adonic
Derived terms: all cats are beautiful
beautiful armadillo
beautiful fruit dove
beautiful game
beautifully
beautiful music
beautifulness
beautiful people
beautimous
bee-utiful
Bucyrus
cuteful
make beautiful music together
nonbeautiful
prettiful
you have beautiful eyes
Related terms: word: beauty
word: beautiful man
word: beautiful woman
word: shining