beauty contest

noun

1

a

: an assemblage of girls or women at which judges select the most beautiful

called also beauty pageant

b

: a contest or competitive situation that is likened to a traditional beauty contest especially in involving judgments made on the basis of physical attractiveness or popular appeal

… an elite automotive expo and beauty contest where cars of only the highest caliber …

—Hannah Elliott

2

US politics : a presidential primary election in which the popular vote does not determine the number of convention delegates a candidate receives

Mr. Ford and Mr. Reagan are listed in the Republican preferential primary or "beauty contest."

—Charles Mohr

Examples of beauty contest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The naturist doctors Gaston and André Durville developed a finicky diet regime and organized nearly nude beauty contests, popularizing the idea of a female figure that adhered to classical ideals. —Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2024

Miss America began in 1921 as a small Atlantic City boardwalk beauty contest and grew to national prominence. —Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 1 Aug. 2024

Two of Boebert’s Republican rivals in the primary, former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg and former state Sen. Ted Harvey, finished second and third in the tense beauty contest election on Thursday night. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2024

And, maybe more importantly, Miss AI isn’t a beauty contest at heart. —Chloe Veltman, NPR, 9 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1a