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a beautiful day
a perfect day
a gorgeous day
a nice day
a pretty day
beautiful music
elegant music
pleasant music
pretty music
lovely music
wonderful music
beautiful eyes
amazing eyes
pretty eyes
beautiful scenery
picturesque scenery
pristine scenery
spectacular scenery
breathtaking scenery
exquisite scenery
a beautiful baby
an adorable baby
a cute baby
a precious baby
a lovely baby
a gorgeous baby

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective beautiful differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of beautiful are comely, fair, handsome, lovely, and pretty. While all these words mean "exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure," beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

beautiful mountain scenery

How are the words comely and handsome related as synonyms of beautiful?

Comely is like handsome in suggesting what is coolly approved rather than emotionally responded to.

the comely grace of a dancer

When can fair be used instead of beautiful?

The words fair and beautiful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

fair of face

When could handsome be used to replace beautiful?

While in some cases nearly identical to beautiful, handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

a handsome Georgian mansion

How do lovely and beautiful relate to one another?

Lovely is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite.

a lovely melody

In what contexts can pretty take the place of beautiful?

The words pretty and beautiful can be used in similar contexts, but pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness.

a painter of conventionally pretty scenes

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beautiful There’s plenty of outdoor activities throughout the holiday season as well as a beautiful Christmas market right on the waterfront. Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 Thomas describes Lola’s as approachable and affordable with beautiful dishes but without any fussiness or stuffiness. The Editors, Outside Online, 23 Dec. 2024 First, there was the presentation of the Intercontinental Cup by the squad, the club’s newest prize won in Qatar on Wednesday, then a brilliant footballing display from Madrid and, of course, a beautiful tribute to Sevilla’s Jesus Navas in what his last game as a professional at age 39. Mario Cortegana, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024 Each dish was both beautiful and tasty, ending with desserts like a chocolate tart with Guanaja chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, and sea salt. Pat Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for beautiful 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beautiful
Adjective
  • Dar Tazi, Palais De Fes, Morocco One of the loveliest places to stay in Fez, Palais de Fes got its start as the city’s first modern-day restaurant, back in 1980—photos of the original owner with Ronald Reagan and Middle Eastern royals still hang on the walls.
    Ann Abel, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
  • Several types of tent and RV sites are available, some of which are waterfront, affording lovely views of the James River.
    Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Bill has a great bone structure and wonderful expressive eyes, and is such a great actor.
    William Earl, Variety, 2 Jan. 2025
  • Over 900 customers left five-star reviews and affirmed the impressive stats on picture and sound, calling both superb and wonderful.
    Megan Schaltegger, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Co-owners Will Thompson and Chef Carey Hynes turned their outdoor pandemic pop-up in Little River into a full-time reality, keeping the gorgeous space for dining under the giant banyan tree but adding a retro-Florida indoor dining room as well.
    Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
  • For example, perhaps there’s an amazing piece of art that just needs a new frame or a gorgeous armoire begging for a fresh paint job.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But there’s also a huge selection of Japanese Wagyu, an excellent sushi menu, and several tantalizing flavors of Nick & Sam’s famous seven-layer cake.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Though Thuney has short arms, his footwork is excellent.
    Ted Nguyen, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The kids were very cute & the crates were very broken.
    Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
  • In the cute black-and-white photo, Hailey, who appeared to be makeup-free, could be seen planting a kiss on Jack’s foot and holding onto his ankle.
    Hannah Sacks, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Appreciation for these awesome activities is global, from Switzerland to Japan.
    Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2025
  • But nonetheless, it's been awesome interacting with fans more.
    Natasha Dye, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Boz goes on a date with her very handsome long-distance boyfriend, Keely.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The heavy makeup that transformed the impossibly handsome Farrell into the scarred and pock-marked Cobb required a lot of hard work and artistry from makeup designer Michael Marino, who spoke about his process during The Penguin’s panel at San Diego Comic Con back in July.
    Christian Holub, EW.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Piaget’s fabulous 150th anniversary WATCH When a brand reaches the ripe old age of 150, a sesquicentennial celebration is in order.
    Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 30 Dec. 2024
  • And that’s to say nothing of the various slippers, boots, and—of course—Crocs that made it a year in fabulous footwear.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near beautiful

Cite this Entry

“Beautiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beautiful. Accessed 11 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on beautiful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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