beauty
BYOO-tee
Beauty (noun) means the quality of being pleasing to look at or otherwise highly attractive. Example: “Tourists come from all over to see the beauty of the coastline.”
noun
1
The quality of being pleasing to look at or otherwise highly attractive.
"Tourists come from all over to see the beauty of the coastline."
"The beauty of the design lies in its simplicity."
"Visitors often stop in silence, struck by the beauty of the mountain lake at dawn."
2
A person, especially a woman, who is strikingly attractive.
"She was considered a great beauty in her youth."
"The old film depicts a village beauty whom every young man hoped to marry."
"Everyone turned to look when the bride, a real beauty, walked in."
3
A particularly good or satisfying example of something (informal).
"That last goal was an absolute beauty."
"Look at this old motorbike I found in the shed, it's a beauty!"
"That pie your neighbour baked was a real beauty, with a golden crust."
How to use beauty
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe quality of being lovely to look at, or a person/thing that has that quality.
Memory tip
"The beauty of X" is a common phrase meaning "the best/cleverest thing about X" — as in "the beauty of the plan is that it costs nothing."
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
natural beauty
a great beauty
the beauty of something
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Word forms
- Plural
- beauties
- Third person singular
- beauties
- Past tense
- beautied
- Comparative
- more beauty
- Superlative
- most beauty
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Tourists come from all over to see the _____ of the coastline.
Etymology
From Old French beauté, going back to a Latin form built on bellus ("beautiful, fine"). It came into English through Anglo-Norman French after the Norman Conquest and gradually replaced the native Old English word for the same idea.
Synonyms
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elegance
allure
charm
gorgeousness
inspiration
loveliness
looker
good looker
beautiful person
beautiful woman
attractiveness
beautifulness
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for beauty
See all rhymes for beauty →Frequently asked questions
What does “beauty” mean?
The word “beauty” means the quality of being pleasing to look at or otherwise highly attractive. In plain terms, the quality of being lovely to look at, or a person/thing that has that quality.
How do you pronounce “beauty”?
“Beauty” is pronounced BYOO-tee (/ˈbjuti/ in IPA).
How do you use “beauty” in a sentence?
Here is “beauty” used in a sentence: “Tourists come from all over to see the beauty of the coastline.”
What is another word for “beauty”?
Words with a similar meaning to “beauty” include gorgeousness, inspiration, loveliness, looker, good looker and beautiful person.
What is the opposite of “beauty”?
The opposite of “beauty” — its antonyms — are repulsiveness, homeliness and ugliness.
What part of speech is “beauty”?
“Beauty” is a noun.
Where does the word “beauty” come from?
The word “beauty” comes from Latin.
Is “beauty” a common word?
“Beauty” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
What is the difference between beauty and beautiful?
Beauty is the noun — the quality itself, as in 'the beauty of the coast.' Beautiful is the adjective that describes something possessing that quality, as in 'a beautiful coast.' You admire beauty (the thing) and call an object beautiful (its description). Same idea, different grammatical roles.
Is beauty subjective or objective?
Beauty is largely considered subjective — 'in the eye of the beholder' — since tastes vary by person, culture, and era. That said, some features such as symmetry and harmony are found attractive across many societies, so there is a shared element beneath much personal preference.
Can beauty be measured?
Not precisely. Because beauty depends heavily on personal and cultural judgment, there is no reliable unit for it. Researchers sometimes study proxies like facial symmetry or proportion, and ratings can be averaged, but these capture only part of what people actually find beautiful. Much of it stays subjective.
What is the opposite of beauty?
The direct opposite of beauty is ugliness — the quality of being unpleasant or unattractive to look at. Softer contrasts include plainness or ordinariness, which suggest a simple lack of striking attractiveness rather than something actively displeasing, while ugliness implies a genuinely off-putting appearance.
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