beautiful

The word “beautiful” means having qualities that give great pleasure to look at, hear, or experience. In plain terms, very pleasing to look at, hear, or experience.

“Beautiful” is pronounced BYOO-tih-fuhl (/ˈbju.tɪ.fəl/ in IPA).

Here is “beautiful” used in a sentence: “The sunset over the mountains was beautiful.”

Words with a similar meaning to “beautiful” include beauteous, attractive, fair, cute, good-looking and gorgeous.

The opposite of “beautiful” — its antonyms — are grotesque, hideous, homely, plain and misshapen.

“Beautiful” is an adjective.

The word “beautiful” comes from Latin. From beauty + -ful, entering English via Old French from Latin bellus, "pretty.".

“Beautiful” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

"Beautiful" suggests a deeper, more striking and complete kind of attractiveness that can move you emotionally. "Pretty" is lighter — pleasant and appealing, but less powerful or profound. A sunset can be beautiful; a floral pattern might just be pretty. Beautiful is the stronger compliment of the two.

Both praise good looks, but they carry different associations. "Beautiful" suggests delicate, striking, or graceful appeal and is often applied to women, scenery, or art. "Handsome" implies strong, well-defined attractiveness and is traditionally used for men. The lines blur in modern use, and either can describe people or things admiringly.

Largely subjective — "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and tastes vary across people and cultures. Yet some features, such as symmetry and harmony, are widely found pleasing, hinting at shared instincts. So while there's no fixed rule for what counts as beautiful, it isn't purely random either.

The most direct opposite is "ugly," describing something unpleasant to look at or experience. Softer contrasts include "plain" or "unattractive," which are less harsh. Which one fits depends on tone — "plain" simply lacks beauty, whereas "ugly" actively repels, sitting at the far end from beautiful.