Beauty Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms beauty American [byoo-tee] / ˈbyu ti /

noun

plural

beauties

1. the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).

   Synonyms: allure, attractiveness, pulchritude

2. a beautiful person, especially a woman.

   Synonyms: belle

3. treatments and products that enhance a person’s physical attractiveness, or the industry associated with this.

   She left her career in business administration to pursue her passion in beauty and wellness.

4. a beautiful thing, as a work of art or a building.

5. Often beauties. a beautiful feature or trait in nature or in some natural or artificial environment.

   the rugged beauties of our seashore and mountains.

6. an individually pleasing or beautiful quality; grace; charm.

   a vivid blue area that is the one real beauty of the painting.

7. Informal. a particular advantage.

   One of the beauties of this medicine is the freedom from aftereffects.

8. (often used ironically) someone or something that is extraordinary, remarkable, or amazing; a beaut.

   That sunburn is a real beauty!

9. something excellent of its kind.

   My old car, now she was a beauty.

adjective

1. relating to or being something intended to enhance a person’s physical attractiveness: Make time for yourself and book a relaxing beauty treatment in our first-class spa.

   They have a wonderful handcrafted line of natural beauty products, including soaps, lip balm, scented oils, and moisturizer.

   Make time for yourself and book a relaxing beauty treatment in our first-class spa.

beauty British / ˈbjuːtɪ /

noun

1. the combination of all the qualities of a person or thing that delight the senses and please the mind

2. a very attractive and well-formed girl or woman

3. informal an outstanding example of its kind

   the horse is a beauty

4. informal an advantageous feature

   one beauty of the job is the short hours

5. informal a light-hearted and affectionate term of address

   hello, my old beauty!

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

interjection

1. Also (Scot, Austral, and NZ): you beauty. an expression of approval or agreement

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 beauty Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing beauty

• that's the beauty of

Other Word Forms

• nonbeauty noun

Etymology

Origin of beauty

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English be(a)ute, from Old French beaute; replacing Middle English bealte, from Old French beltet, from unattested Vulgar Latin bellitāt- (stem of unattested bellitās ), equivalent to Latin bell(us) “fine” + -itāt- noun suffix; -ity

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

After working in her new home studio, Baker says she marvels at the beauty of dusk — the depth of orange and blue — as she drives to pick up her kids from school.

From Los Angeles Times

From 2029, agriculture, environmental and animal care, catering and hospitality, hair and beauty, and protective services will be added.

From BBC

I was in and of beauty and at that precise moment a doe, a white-tailed deer, exploded out of some willows on the left side of the team, heading down the bank toward the lake.

From Literature

Even something like “Perfect Days” — Wenders’ most recent narrative film, a simple but moving meditation on the beauty of life and routine — has the potency of politics in its bones.

From Salon

She has gathered nature-inspired artworks in “Slow Looking” to draw us in and get us to look for longer, though she dangles the rewards at a distance: “The beauty will not automatically reveal itself.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• allure
• charm
• delicacy
• elegance
• good looks
• grace
• refinement
• style

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.