beautiful
Extremely pleasing to the senses or the mind.
Word facts
Definition
Something beautiful is exceptionally pleasing to look at, hear, or feel. The word captures a sense of joy, admiration, or deep appreciation that comes from experiencing something excellent in appearance, sound, or feeling. Beauty can be found in nature, art, people, music, and ideas.
Usage: Beautiful works for things you see (a beautiful painting), sounds (beautiful music), and emotions or ideas (a beautiful gesture, a beautiful mind). It is stronger than 'pretty' and slightly more versatile than 'gorgeous'.
A common spelling mistake is writing 'beatiful' (missing the u) or 'beautyful'. The correct spelling uses -tiful, not -tyful.
Example sentences
- 1
The painting was so beautiful that visitors stopped and stared in silence.
- 2
She had a beautiful speaking voice — calm, clear, and easy to listen to.
- 3
They hiked to the summit and were greeted by a beautiful view of the valley below.
Word family
From Old French beau/bel ('handsome, fine') and Latin bellus ('pretty, handsome'). The suffix -ful means 'full of', so beautiful literally means 'full of beauty'.
Split it as beau·ti·ful. 'Beau' is an old-fashioned word for an admirer — something beautiful is what a beau would admire. Remember the spelling: beau-ti-ful.
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FAQ
Questions people ask
How many syllables does beautiful have?
Beautiful has 3 syllables: beau-ti-ful. The stress falls on the first syllable: BYOO-ti-ful.
What is the adverb form of beautiful?
The adverb form is beautifully. Example: She sang beautifully.
What part of speech is beautiful?
Beautiful is an adjective. It modifies nouns: a beautiful garden, the music was beautiful.
How do you spell beautiful correctly?
Beautiful is spelled b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. Remember: beau + ti + ful. The 'beau' part trips many writers.