pretty
gb/pɹˈɪti/ us/pɹˈɪti/
A2
English
~ 2900
szép, elég, szépség
A2
1
szép
A1
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] is pretty
She wore a pretty blue dress to the party.
Egy szép kék ruhát viselt a partin.
The garden looks especially pretty in spring.
Tavasszal különösen szép a kert.
He gave her a pretty necklace for her birthday.
The town has many pretty old houses.
That's a pretty little café by the river.
Learner examples
The flower is pretty.
A virág szép.
She has a pretty smile.
Szép a mosolya.
This is a pretty picture.
Your house is very pretty.
It is a pretty park.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'pretty' meaning 'attractive' with 'pretty' as an adverb meaning 'quite' (e.g., 'pretty good'). Context determines the meaning.
Meaning
attractive in a pleasant way
Collocations
pretty girl
|pretty face
|pretty dress
|pretty garden
|pretty picture
Synonyms
beautiful (Stronger and more formal; can imply greater admiration.)
|
lovely (Warm and friendly; often used for both people and objects.)
Antonyms
ugly (Describes something unpleasant to look at.)
Themes
appearance
|daily life
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Nice to look at because it is pleasant and delicate.
Physically attractive in a delicate, pleasing, or charming way, often used for people or things.
B1
INFORMAL
2
elég
A2
Usage pattern:
pretty [adjective/adverb]
I'm pretty sure we locked the door.
Elég biztos vagyok benne, hogy bezártuk az ajtót.
That movie was pretty funny.
Az a film elég vicces volt.
She's pretty good at tennis.
The test was pretty easy for me.
It's pretty cold outside today.
Learner examples
I am pretty tired.
Elég fáradt vagyok.
This food is pretty good.
Ez az étel elég finom.
It is pretty late now.
The game was pretty fun.
He is pretty tall.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'pretty' here means 'beautiful', but it modifies adjectives/adverbs to mean 'fairly'.
Meaning
to some extent; fairly
Collocations
pretty good
|pretty sure
|pretty fast
|pretty easy
|pretty big
Synonyms
fairly (Slightly more formal; similar meaning.)
|
quite (Can mean the same, but in British English sometimes means 'completely' depending on context.)
Antonyms
barely (Indicates only just or hardly at all.)
Themes
daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Fairly; more than a little but not very.
To a moderately high degree; fairly or quite.
NOUN
C1
3
szépség
B1
Usage pattern:
a pretty / the pretties
She was the prettiest of the village pretties.
A falu szépségei közül ő volt a legszebb.
He's always surrounded by the pretties at school.
Az iskolában mindig szépségek veszik körül.
The film cast was full of young pretties.
Learner examples
The pretties are at the party.
A szépségek ott vannak a buliban.
She is a pretty in the show.
Ő az egyik szépség a műsorban.
He likes the pretties in class.
Common mistake:
This noun form is less common and can sound old-fashioned; learners may overuse it thinking it's neutral like the adjective form.
Meaning
attractive woman or girl
Collocations
the local pretties
|she's a real pretty
Synonyms
beauty (More formal and often implies striking attractiveness.)
Antonyms
plain woman (Describes someone without notable beauty.)
Themes
appearance
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A girl or woman who looks nice.
An attractive person, especially a woman or girl, often used in the plural form or as a nickname.
Grammar
Dictionary form
pretty
IPA
GB/pɹˈɪti/
US/pɹˈɪti/
Syllables & stress
pretty (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (pretty)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: pretty
- Comparative: prettier
- Superlative: prettiest
Word family
Forms
prettier
adjective
prettiest
adjective
Related words
prettily
adverb
prettiness
noun
Negative and opposite forms
ugly
adjective A2
Advanced or less common
prettify
verb
Expressions
look pretty
1/lˈʊk pɹˈɪti/
fixed phrase
appear attractive visually
To seem nice to look at.
Examples
- You look pretty in that dress.
- The mountains look pretty in winter.
pretty much
1/pɹˈɪti mˈʌt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
informal
almost completely; nearly so
Almost completely; nearly all of something.
Examples
- We've pretty much finished the project.
- She pretty much told me she was leaving.
pretty please
1/pɹˈɪti plˈiz/
fixed phrase
informal
polite request with emphasis
Used to ask for something in a very polite or sweet way, often to convince someone.
Examples
- Can I borrow your car, pretty please?
- Pretty please, can we go to the park?
sit pretty
1/sˈɪt pɹˈɪti/
idiom
informal
be in a good position
To be in a good, safe, or lucky situation.
Examples
- With that promotion, he's sitting pretty now.
- After the win, the team was sitting pretty at the top of the league.