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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 a beautiful glow-in-the-dark version but it's sold out. Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 29 Nov. 2024 But this did nothing to diminish these women and their hope and their beautiful internalized glamour. The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2024 There’s beautiful gowns vestments, juicy gossip, and shifting alliances. Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 29 Nov. 2024 Decorative blankets: There are also likely at least one or two beautiful throws in your home that are designated for certain corners of the house and are not for everyday use. Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for beautiful 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beautiful
Adjective
  • Mason and his beautiful girlfriend Sabrina (yes that’s her name) had a lovely night celebrating the end of an era!
    Colson Thayer, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024
  • When warmed, Aldi’s version has lovely nuttiness and warmness from nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove, but also a nice brightness from orange.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • What a wonderful way for your skin to start the new year!
    Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
  • But there are also wonderful nonfiction books about work, above all by those who have dedicated their lives to specific types of it.
    Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Hooray for the catchy jingles, the gorgeous product shots, the adorable polar bears and twinkly lights.
    Joan Oleck, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
  • Keen to experience the gorgeous beaches and alpine lakes?
    Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The 27 Best Christmas Ornaments of 2024 to Bring New Life to Your Tree 05 of 07 For a Tidy Tree: Scotch Pine Its conical shape, piney scent, and excellent needle retention make Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) a popular cut tree for the holidays.
    Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Dec. 2024
  • The Bengals’ 4-7 record has come despite an excellent season from quarterback Joe Burrow who is having arguably his best year in the NFL so far.
    Ben Morse, CNN, 1 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • There are also a number of great stocking stuffers available right now, like cute Ankle Socks (just $8) or a travel-ready Leather Card Case With Magnet (only $13).
    Kristine Thomason, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2024
  • Lisa Says Gah, the Bow Pant, $148 For the friend with flair, these mesh lacrosse pants are the perfect balance of comfortable and cute.
    Romany Williams, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • More than most years, 2024’s Top 25 makes for an awesome, odd and awesomely odd playlist.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
  • More Ways to Save at Groupon This Holiday Season Groupon also offers awesome seasonal sales, with special offers for nearly every holiday.
    Molly Higgins, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Next vacation, leave your phone on airplane mode, bust out this handsome Backgammon set, and settle into a slower rhythm of life.
    Matthew Medendorp, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2024
  • Starring Hunter King and Tyler Hynes, the story centers around a Kansas City Chiefs super fan (King) vying for the title of Fan of the Year and the handsome team employee (Hynes) tasked with finding the contest’s winner.
    Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Find fabulous fashion finds (and more) for up to 50% off, below.
    Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2024
  • Choose from the large or small size and four fabulous colors to find one that works perfectly for your lifestyle.
    Sophie Mendel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near beautiful

Cite this Entry

“Beautiful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beautiful. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on beautiful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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