beautiful

IPA/ˈbjuːtɪfl/
KK[bjˈutəfəl]IPA/ˈbjuːtɪfl/

beautiful — adjective

  • beautifulpositive
  • more beautifulcomparative
  • most beautifulsuperlative

1. so pleasing in its look, sound, or form that it makes people admire it.

1.adjectiveA1
Definition

so pleasing in its look, sound, or form that it makes people admire it.

Example

The lake looked beautiful at sunrise, with mist above the still water.

linking verb: looked beautiful

Uri played a beautiful song on the piano after dinner.

beautiful + noun for music

Common collocations
  • beautiful face
  • beautiful music
  • beautiful garden
  • beautiful view
  • beautiful painting
Synonyms
  • pretty

    is softer and is often used for faces, clothes, or small things.

  • lovely

    adds a warm, personal feeling.

  • gorgeous

    is stronger and more vivid.

  • attractive

    is broader and usually less intense.

Antonyms
  • ugly

    is a strong opposite.

  • plain

    suggests little beauty rather than an ugly look.

Grammar Patterns

a beautiful face

beautiful music

a beautiful place

look beautiful

Usage Note

Common with people, places, clothes, music, art, and scenery. Distinguish from adjective/2: this sense is about beauty itself, not simply a pleasant experience or comfortable feeling.

Common Mistakes

The song is beauty.
The song is beautiful.
use 'beautiful' as the adjective; 'beauty' is the noun.
She is a beautiful in the photo.
She is beautiful in the photo.
do not use 'a' before an adjective.

2. bringing a strong feeling of comfort or happiness because it is extremely pleasa

2.adjectiveA1
Definition

bringing a strong feeling of comfort or happiness because it is extremely pleasant.

Example

We had beautiful weather for the school picnic by the beach.

collocation: beautiful weather

Saturday brought a beautiful morning for a run along the river.

beautiful + time word

Common collocations
  • beautiful weather
  • beautiful day
  • beautiful morning
  • beautiful afternoon
  • beautiful evening
Synonyms
  • lovely

    is a close everyday match for pleasant weather or time.

  • wonderful

    is broader and often stronger.

  • delightful

    sounds a little more formal.

  • enjoyable

    focuses more on the experience than on emotion.

Antonyms
  • awful

    is a strong opposite for very bad weather or experiences.

  • unpleasant

    is a more neutral opposite.

Grammar Patterns

beautiful weather

a beautiful day

a beautiful afternoon

feel beautiful

Usage Note

Common with weather and parts of the day, and sometimes with experiences that feel especially comforting or joyful. Distinguish from adjective/1: the focus is the good feeling something gives, not how attractive it looks.

Common Mistakes

We had a beauty weather.
We had beautiful weather.
use the adjective form before the noun.
The weather was beauty today.
The weather was beautiful today.
use the adjective after 'be'.

3. used in speech to praise something as especially kind, skilful, or done in exact

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

used in speech to praise something as especially kind, skilful, or done in exactly the right way.

Example

It was beautiful of Otto to wait with the lost child.

pattern: beautiful of + person + to-infinitive

Coach Ramos called Ken's last pass beautiful in the final minute.

spoken praise for skill

Common collocations
  • beautiful gesture
  • beautiful answer
  • beautiful pass
  • beautiful work
  • beautiful thing to do
Synonyms
  • kind

    fits only the generous side of this sense.

  • thoughtful

    stresses care for another person.

  • brilliant

    fits the skilful or exact side, not kindness.

  • elegant

    is common for skilful moves or solutions done with ease.

Antonyms
  • cruel

    opposes the kind side of the meaning.

  • clumsy

    opposes the skilful side of the meaning.

Grammar Patterns

beautiful of + person + to-infinitive

a beautiful answer

a beautiful pass

beautiful work

Usage Note

Common in speech when reacting to a kind gesture, a smart reply, or skilful play. The pattern 'it was beautiful of + person + to-infinitive' is mainly for kindness; before nouns like answer or pass, it usually praises how well something was done.

Common Mistakes

It was beautiful from you to help me.
It was beautiful of you to help me.
use 'of' in this pattern.
Your answer was beautiful to the question.
Your answer was beautiful.
do not add 'to' after the adjective here.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For sense 1, beautiful is a strong everyday word for something that gives a clear feeling of beauty. Pretty is softer and often used for faces, clothes, flowers, and smaller objects. Lovely overlaps with beautiful, but it adds a warmer and more personal feeling. Attractive is broader and less intense; it can describe beauty, but it also works for plans, offers, or features. Gorgeous is stronger, brighter, and more expressive, often for rich colour or striking style. Beautiful fits both simple speech and careful writing. A child may have a pretty smile, a village may look lovely, a ticket deal may sound attractive, and a sunset over the sea may be beautiful or even gorgeous.

pretty ↗lovely ↗attractive ↗gorgeous ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • so beautiful

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Beautiful was formed in English from beauty and the ending -ful. Beauty came into English through French from a Latin root linked with the idea of something fine or pleasing. The earliest meaning was simply 'full of beauty', and later the word spread to pleasant weather, kind actions, and skilful performances.