Beautiful. It’s a fantastic word, but when used too much, it can diminish the elegance. If you’re looking to find alternatives to the word beautiful, then we have 50 synonyms for you to choose from.
The word beautiful is a descriptor that we tend to use liberally in English writing and speaking, and if you are aiming to be as illustrative and specific in your writing as possible, it may not be doing you any favors. Let’s take a closer look at why.
The bride was beautiful.
A beautiful stand of pine trees stood in the foreground.
The longer route through the mountains was a beautiful detour.
When we can use the same adjective to describe a bride, a stand of trees, and a road, it tends to lose its meaning a bit. Furthermore, the word beautiful is weak because it is subjective, meaning that what makes something beautiful to one person may not be the same as what makes something beautiful to another person. Let’s explore what happens when we replace the adjective beautiful with more descriptive choices.
The bride was exquisitely dressed in a cream satin gown and a crown of fresh red roses.
The stand of pine trees stood dark and serene against the fading sunset.
The longer route through the mountains was a detour that provided scenic views of dramatic cliff overlooks.
See how the sentences above paint a clearer, more descriptive picture when we take out the word beautiful and replace it with more descriptive language? In essence, what we are doing is swapping out the subjective word beautiful and showing why these things are beautiful. We’re showing instead of telling.
Need some more inspiration to replace the word beautiful in your writing?
50 Synonyms for Beautiful
- Admirable–excellent, worthy of reverence
- Alluring–very attractive, enticing, seductive
- Angelic–befitting an angel
- Beguiling–intriguing, charming
- Beseeching–engaging, entrancing
- Bewitching–fascinating, charming
- Captivating–attracting and holding attention
- Charming–delightful, pleasing
- Classy–stylish, admirably smart
- Cute–attractive in a dainty way
- Dazzling–brilliant, amazing, extremely attractive
- Delicate–fine in texture or quality
- Delightful–giving great pleasure
- Divine–of or related to a god
- Elegant–graceful, tastefully fine
- Exquisite–extraordinarily fine, rare
- Enticing–attractive, alluring
- Entrancing–capable of attracting and holding interest
- Excellent–outstanding, extremely good
- Fair–pleasing to the eye, fresh, flawless
- Fascinating–captivating, extremely interesting
- Fine–superior in appearance
- Foxy–physically attractive
- Good-looking–having a pleasing appearance
- Gorgeous–brilliant, magnificent
- Graceful–pleasing in proportion or movement
- Grand–lavish, sumptuous
- Handsome–having a dignified appearance
- Ideal–a standard of perfection or excellence
- Knockout–sensationally attractive
- Lovely–eliciting feelings of love
- Magnificent–extraordinarily fine, superb
- Magnetic–exerting a strong attractive charm
- Marvelous–causing wonder or admiration
- Nice–pleasing, agreeable, delightful
- Pleasing–agreeable, gratifying
- Pleasant–enjoyable, giving pleasure
- Pretty–pleasing to the eye
- Ravishing–enchanting, entrancing
- Refined–free from coarseness or impurities
- Resplendent–gleaming, shining brightly
- Seductive–captivating, beguiling
- Shapely–having a pleasing shape
- Sightly–attractive
- Splendid–gorgeous, magnificent
- Statuesque–massive in grace or beauty
- Stunning–of striking beauty
- Superb–admirably fine or excellent
- Sublime–inspiring awe, outstanding
- Tempting–enticing or inviting
Susan is an English educator, editor, and writer who has enjoyed working within these fields since 2004. Her experience includes teaching at the high school and adult continuing education levels, and writing and editing for multiple regional publications, including Wrightsville Beach Magazine and Encore Magazine. Today she is a copywriter and editor for CastleBranch Inc., as well as editor in chief for the company’s internal e-magazine. A Southern transplant who moved from Ohio to North Carolina, she has embraced the word “y’all” and can tell you how she likes her grits. Check out her official website.
