Pretty is used to tone down a statement and is in wide use across the whole spectrum of English. It is common in informal speech and writing but is neither rare nor wrong in serious discourse.

Something or someone that is pretty is pleasing to the eye. But calling someone pretty isn’t quite the same as calling them beautiful, handsome, or lovely.

We can use pretty as an adverb, before an adjective or another adverb, meaning ‘quite, but not extremely’. It is informal: … That's a pretty hat you're wearing. The sofa was covered in very …

1. To a fair degree; moderately: a pretty good student. 2. In a pretty manner; prettily or pleasingly.

Nov 7, 2025 · When particularly stressed, the adverb pretty serves almost to diminish the adjective or adverb that it modifies, by emphasizing that there are greater levels of intensity.

Find 447 different ways to say PRETTY, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.

There are 20 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word pretty, four of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Some common synonyms of pretty are beautiful, comely, fair, handsome, and lovely. While all these words mean "exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure," pretty often applies to superficial …

Pretty privilege is the tendency for people who are viewed as more attractive or "pretty" to receive more opportunities, benefits, attention, or other perks than their less attractive counterparts. [1] …

If you describe someone as pretty, you mean that they are attractive. She's a very charming and very pretty girl.