pretty

/'priti/

Thân thiện

She wore a pretty dress to the garden party.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Pleasing to the eye or ear in a delicate or graceful way: Used to describe something or someone that is attractive, often in a charming or dainty manner, rather than in a grand or imposing way.
   • (Used ironically) Unpleasantly surprising or bad: Used to emphasize an undesirable or messy situation.

2. Adverb:

   • To a moderately high degree; fairly, quite: Used to modify an adjective or another adverb, indicating a significant but not extreme level.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • She wore a pretty dress with small flowers. (The dress is attractive in a delicate way.)
  • They found themselves in a pretty predicament after missing the last train. (An ironically bad situation.)

• Adverb:

  • The exam was pretty difficult, but I think I passed. (The exam was quite difficult.)
  • I'm pretty sure I left my keys on the table. (I am fairly certain.)

Advanced Usage

• "Pretty much": Almost completely; nearly.

  • The project is pretty much finished. (The project is almost completely finished.)

• "Sitting pretty": In a favorable or advantageous position.

  • After the investment, the company was sitting pretty. (The company was in a very good position.)

• "Not just a pretty face": Having intelligence or skill in addition to good looks.

  • She solved the complex equation, proving she's not just a pretty face. (She demonstrated she is also intelligent.)

Variants and Related Words

• Prettify (verb): To make something superficially attractive or pretty.
  • They tried to prettify the old report with new graphics.
• Prettiness (noun): The quality of being pretty.
  • The prettiness of the garden was enchanting.

Synonyms

• Adjective (attractive): Charming, lovely, attractive, cute.
• Adverb (quite): Fairly, reasonably, moderately, quite.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "Pretty" is not commonly used to form phrasal verbs. Its primary uses are as an adjective and adverb.)

Related Idioms

• "Cost a pretty penny": To be very expensive.
  • That designer handbag must have cost a pretty penny.
• "Pretty as a picture": Very attractive or beautiful.
  • The village in the valley was as pretty as a picture.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. (used ironically) unexpectedly bad
   • a pretty mess
   • a pretty kettle of fish
2. pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
   • pretty girl
   • pretty song
   • pretty room

Adverb

1. to a moderately sufficient extent or degree
   • pretty big
   • pretty bad
   • jolly decent of him
   • the shoes are priced reasonably
   • he is fairly clever with computers

Từ đồng nghĩa

• reasonably
• moderately
• jolly
• somewhat
• fairly
• middling
• passably