pretty — English Dictionary

Adjective

1. Pleasant to the sight or other senses; attractive, especially of women or children.

   Synonyms

   dainty

   Examples

   More examples (4)

   Having brought it to a close, he took his way to the Kursaal. The great German watering-place is one of the prettiest nooks in Europe, and of a summer evening in the gaming days, five-and-twenty years ago, it was one of the most brilliant scenes.

   Hal Smith, manager of the Ferry Field theatre, Detroit, one of the largest and prettiest outskirt houses in town, played Metro's "Revelation" for three days last week

   The face which emerged was not reassuring.[…]. He was not a mongol but there was a deficiency of a sort there, and it was not made more pretty by a latter-day hair cut which involved eccentrically long elf-locks and oiled black curls.

   To escape a violent beating from sailors to whom he has sold a non-functioning car, Jerry takes his stepfamily for a holiday in a trailer park miles away, where, miraculously, young Nick meets a very pretty young woman called Sheeni, played by Portia Doubleday.

2. Of objects or things: nice-looking, appealing.

   Examples

   Some fans may have mistaken the album’s floatiness for aimlessness, but Mr. Mercer’s songs have never been sneakier, or prettier.

   'Petit Posy' brassicas […] are a cross between kale and brussels sprouts, and are really very pretty with a mild, sweet taste.

3. Fine-looking; only superficially attractive; initially appealing but having little substance; see petty.

   Usage

   • Derogatory
   • often

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Damned by the Socialists as "traitors to the working class," its leaders were decried by Tories as "faceless peddlers of politics with a pretty little trinket for every taste."

4. Effeminate.

   Usage

   • UK usage
   • Derogatory
   • sometimes

5. Cunning; clever, skilful.

   Examples

   In the end, however, it was a very pretty shot, right across the chasm; killed first fire, and the brute fell headlong into the brook […].

6. Moderately large; considerable.

   Usage

   • Dated

   Examples

   they flung all the goods in the house out at the windows into the street, or into the sea, as they supposed; thus they continued mad a pretty season […].

   "What did you do to your hair?" The answer could be worth a pretty penny for L'Oreal.

7. Excellent, commendable, pleasing; fitting or proper (of actions, thoughts etc.).

   Usage

   • Dated

   Examples

   More examples (3)

   Some people are surprised, I believe, that that the eldest was not [named after his father], but Isabella would have him named Henry, which I thought very pretty of her.

   ‘This new fashion of introducing the candidate's children into an election contest is a pretty one,’ said Mrs. Panstreppon; ‘it takes away something from the acerbity of party warfare, and it makes an interesting experience for the children to look back on in after years.’

   "Oh, Jake." Brett said, "we could have had such a damned good time together." Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. He raised his baton. The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me. "Yes", I said. "Isn't it pretty to think so?"

8. Awkward, unpleasant, bad.

   Usage

   • Ironic

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   "Nay, not I; it is a pretty thing to expect me to wash them; you may take them back again, and say, as Sally had them before, she may wash them now, for me; I am not going to be 'Jack at a pinch,' I can tell you."

   [A] pretty thing it would be, if a man of business had to examine every cab-horse before he hired it—[…]

   More examples (3)

   ‘You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Marjorie Lindon, to even think such nonsense. Are you all nerves and morbid imaginings,—you who have prided yourself on being so strong-minded! A pretty sort you are to do battle for anyone.—Why, they’re only make-believes!’

   His sadistic self-torturings finally landed him in a pretty mess: still completely married, practically sure he was in love with Tillie, he made dishonorable proposals of marriage to two other women.

   "[…] you can still see where the kid's face is swollen up from this talk: couple of black eyes, lip all busted up, nose over sideways," Driscoll shook his head again, "just a real pretty picture."

9. Matching commonly accepted principles of formatting and syntax, for the sake of readability.

   Usage

   • of code

Adverb

1. Somewhat, fairly, quite; sometimes also (by meiosis) very.

   Usage

   • not-comparable

   Examples

   They are proud, and vveare their hayre pretty long, and about their criſpes vvreath a valuable Shaſh or Tulipant; […]

   By the Sheets you have sent me to peruse, the Account you have given of her Birth and Parentage is pretty exact [...].

   More examples (4)

   Pauſanias's account is related pretty faithfully there, if we except two errors, one, that Arcas an Olympian mixed ſome Hippomanes with the brazen ſtatue, the other that he caſt a mare.

   It seems pretty clear that organic beings must be exposed during several generations to the new conditions of life to cause any appreciable amount of variation; […]

   I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the first thing I knew, made a sudden bend around a bunch of bayberry scrub and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn.

   The Revolutionary decade was a pretty challenging time for business.

2. Prettily, in a pretty manner.

   Usage

   • dialectal
   • not-comparable

   Examples

   'The boy sings pretty, don't he, Master Marner?'

Noun

1. A pretty person; a term of address to a pretty person.

   Examples

   I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!

2. Something that is pretty.

   Examples

   We'll stop at the knife store and look at the sharp pretties.

Verb

1. To make pretty; to beautify

   Examples

   He sat on the hearth rug and began prettying the dog's coat.

Adjective

1. pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

   Examples

   pretty girl

   pretty song

   More examples (1)

   pretty room

2. (used ironically) unexpectedly bad

   Examples

   a pretty mess

   a pretty kettle of fish

Adverb

1. to certain extent or degree

   Synonyms

   reasonablymoderatelyjollysomewhatfairlymiddlingpassably

   Examples

   pretty big

   pretty bad

   More examples (3)

   jolly decent of him

   the shoes are priced reasonably

   he is fairly clever with computers