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

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 …

Pretty definition: pleasing or attractive to the eye, as by delicacy or gracefulness.. See examples of PRETTY used in a sentence.

Find 448 different ways to say PRETTY, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.

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

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

Oct 21, 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.

Use the word pretty to describe something with a delicate and pleasant appearance. Something that’s pretty is less powerful and intimidating than something that’s beautiful, the way a pretty …

pleasing or attractive, esp. in a delicate or graceful way: a pretty face. pleasing or charming but not grand or overwhelming: a pretty little cabin in the woods.

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.