/ ˈbjuːtɪfl; NAmE / adjective
1.
having beauty; pleasing to the senses or to the mind :
a beautiful woman / face / baby / voice / poem / smell / evening
beautiful countryside / weather / music
2.
very good or skilful :
What beautiful timing!
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SYNONYMS
beautiful
pretty ♦ handsome ♦ attractive ♦ lovely ♦ good-looking ♦ gorgeous
These words all describe people who are pleasant to look at.
beautiful
(especially of a woman or girl) very pleasant to look at:
She looked stunningly beautiful that night.
pretty
(especially of a girl or woman) pleasant to look at:
She's got a very pretty face.
NOTE
Pretty is used most often to talk about girls. When it is used to talk about a woman, it usually suggests that she is like a girl, with small, delicate features.
handsome
(of a man) pleasant to look at; (of a woman) pleasant to look at, with large strong features rather than small delicate ones:
He was described as ' tall, dark and handsome '.
attractive
(of a person) pleasant to look at, especially in a sexual way:
She's a very attractive woman.
lovely
(of a person) beautiful; very attractive:
She looked particularly lovely that night.
NOTE
When you describe sb as lovely , you are usually showing that you also have a strong feeling of affection for them.
good-looking
(of a person) pleasant to look at, often in a sexual way:
She arrived with a very good-looking man.
gorgeous
( informal ) (of a person) extremely attractive, especially in a sexual way:
You look gorgeous!
attractive or good-looking?
If you describe sb as attractive you often also mean that they have a pleasant personality as well as being pleasant to look at; good-looking just describes sb's physical appearance.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
to look beautiful / pretty / handsome / attractive / lovely / gorgeous
to feel beautiful / pretty / attractive
a(n) beautiful / pretty / handsome / attractive / lovely / good-looking / gorgeous girl / woman
a(n) beautiful / handsome / attractive / lovely / good-looking / gorgeous boy / man
a(n) beautiful / pretty / handsome / attractive / lovely / good-looking face
very / extremely / exceptionally beautiful / pretty / handsome / attractive / lovely / good-looking