Sekirov Dictionary

pretty

/ˈpɹɪt.i/

adjective 9
adverb 2
noun 2
verb 1
forms 5
phrases 7

adjective9

•
(of a woman, a girl or a child) nice to look at in a sweet way
- Hal Smith, manager of the Ferry Field theatre, Detroit, one of the largest and prettiest outskirt houses in town, played Metro's "Revelation" for three days last week — 1917
•
Of objects or things: nice-looking, appealing.
- Some fans may have mistaken the album’s floatiness for aimlessness, but Mr. Mercer’s songs have never been sneakier, or prettier. — 2007
•
Awkward, unpleasant, bad.
- [A] pretty thing it would be, if a man of business had to examine every cab-horse before he hired it—[…] — 1877
•
Fine-looking; only superficially attractive; initially appealing but having little substance; see petty.
- Damned by the Socialists as "traitors to the working class," its leaders were decried by Tories as "faceless peddlers of politics with a pretty little trinket for every taste." — 1962
Matching commonly accepted principles of formatting and syntax, for the sake of readability.
•
Cunning; clever, skilful.
- In the end, however, it was a very pretty shot, right across the chasm; killed first fire, and the brute fell headlong into the brook […]. — 1877
•
(old-fashioned) Excellent, commendable, pleasing; fitting or proper (of actions, thoughts etc.).
- Some people are surprised, I believe, that that the eldest was not [named after his father], but Isabella would have him named Henry, which I thought very pretty of her. — 1815
•
(old-fashioned) Moderately large; considerable.
- they flung all the goods in the house out at the windows into the street, or into the sea, as they supposed; thus they continued mad a pretty season […]. — 1624
(UK, offensive) Effeminate.

adverb2

•
Somewhat, fairly, quite; sometimes also (by meiosis) very.
- They are proud, and vveare their hayre pretty long, and about their crispes vvreath a valuable Shash or Tulipant; […] — 1638
•
(dialect) Prettily, in a pretty manner.
- 'The boy sings pretty, don't he, Master Marner?' — 1861

noun2

•
A pretty person; a term of address to a pretty person.
- I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too! — 1939
•
Something that is pretty.
- We'll stop at the knife store and look at the sharp pretties.

verb1

•
To make pretty; to beautify
- He sat on the hearth rug and began prettying the dog's coat. — 2007

forms

prettied · prettying · pretties · prettier · prettiest

Phrases with pretty

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