Definition of pretty in English:

pretty

adjectiveprettier, prettiest ˈprɪtiˈprɪdi

1(of a person, especially a woman or child) attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful.
漂亮的，标致的，好看的
a pretty little girl with an engaging grin
一个带着迷人笑容的漂亮小女孩。
Example sentencesExamples
- She was very shy and she didn't understand what a lovely, pretty girl she was.
- She was around twelve, a fair pretty girl with coffee hair and soft hazel eyes.
- Good thing it's nice outside and there are pretty girls walking past.
- Met a really nice and pretty girl on the train home tonight, a student at Portsmouth Uni studying marketing.
- One night I ran into a pretty girl who seemed to think I was attractive.
- She was disgustingly pretty, with beautiful sapphire eyes and smooth complexion.
- He really did think that she was pretty and would be beautiful if she dressed up a bit.
- She was pretty, in a delicate sort of way, but there was something earthy about her.
- Who'd want to be like a man when they can be lovely pretty girls?
- The Arabic language is beautiful, girls are pretty, men are men - and the land is the land.
- He blamed it on the fact that he was a naturally shy person, around pretty girls especially.
- The boys in the whole town are crazy about her since she is so pretty and many girls hate her.
- He didn't know how he'd ever gotten a nice, pretty girl like her to talk to him.
- It was a computerised person, a pretty female with a high pitched, girl voice.
- If he hadn't known her there was no cheating, just him being a man attracted to a pretty woman.
- People always look at pretty women as not very smart, so you have to do double to prove them wrong.
- The guy gave in; he couldn't say no to that pretty girl in the nice dress.
- Well, just as the person was beginning to do that, a pretty woman walks by and the guard looks at her and waves the guy on.
- He even used to note down who sat in which carriage, and what people wore, especially pretty girls.
- Except for when they told her she was pretty and could attract any guy she wanted.
Synonyms
attractive, lovely, good-looking, nice-looking, fetching, prepossessing, appealing, charming, delightful, nice, engaging, pleasing
darling, sweet, dear, adorable, lovable
winning, winsome, cute, as pretty as a picture, dainty, graceful
handsome, well favoured, personable, beautiful, glamorous, gorgeous, ravishing, stunning, bewitching, alluring
chocolate-box
Scottish &amp Northern English bonny
informal easy on the eye, adorbs
literary beauteous
archaic fair, comely
1. 1.1 (of a thing) pleasing to the eye or the ear.
  （事物）悦目的；悦耳的
  a pretty summer dress
  好看的夏季连衣裙。
  Example sentencesExamples
  The plant's foliage withers back during the summer while pretty, orange-red berries appear in the fall.
  The song was pretty, and when he glanced at Alexandra she seemed to be focusing most of her mind on it.
  Originally quite a good song with a pretty melody it's now some drab techno.
  That morning she wore a pretty carnation pink dress, a belt clasped perfectly around her waist.
  I've got one really pretty party dress with a big butterfly on it.
  She watched the bird with interest, it's pretty song distracting her from what would soon be happening.
  She has a soft, pretty face and a sweet, unstrident Canadian voice.
  The lead singer wearing a pretty dress and summer sandals added to the airiness of their set.
  The sun shone above brightly and the birds sang pretty songs from their places in the blossoming cherry trees.
  The same held true for clothes - Mary had an intuitive understanding of the power of a pretty dress.
  She has beautiful even skin and her hair is short and undyed, flecked pretty silver.
  Each child is bound to know many, along with a pretty song and maybe even a little dance.
  When two girls came in, in an effort to be polite he told one that the dress she wore was pretty.
  That's not to say everyone's prancing around in pretty dresses and playing lutes in elven glens.
  Carina Round drops in to provide the prettiest of pretty harmonies and for just one song the world is at peace.
  Sorry lads, nothing against your pretty songs, but right now my teeth are gritted and the bright morning sun is in my eyes.
  She used her skill to please, with pretty, decorative painting, some of which adorns the ceilings of Burlington House.
  She liked pretty dresses and nice shoes and she enjoyed being a little lady.
  Is It Up to Me, a really pretty song, was taped live during a rehearsal at the Pyramid on one of those four track cassette jobs.
  Or get right up to the minute with a lilac summer style with pretty paper flowers on the front for £34.99.
2informal attributive Used ironically to express annoyance or displeasure.
〈非正式〉好的，妙极了的（表示不悦或厌恶的讽刺语）
he led me a pretty dance
他真让我转得晕了头。
Example sentencesExamples
- Played in horrible conditions with gusting gales and sweeping rain this was never going to be a pretty affair.
- This was far from a pretty affair; in fact it was downright ugly.
- With the wind dominating affairs this was never going to be a day for pretty rugby.
- The game began and for thirty minutes it wasn't a pretty affair by any stretch of the imagination.
- A derby match is seldom a pretty affair, with so much at stake games become scrappy.
- The last ten minutes was a scrappy, even bad-tempered, affair, which offered little in the way of pretty football.

adverb ˈprɪtiˈprɪdi

To a moderately high degree; fairly.
〈非正式〉相当地；颇
he looked pretty fit for his age
就他这个年纪他看上去相当健康。
it was a pretty bad injury
Example sentencesExamples
- Aside from this, the video and audio transfer is fairly grainy and overall pretty horrible.
- Also, it's a pretty bad breakup, so I don't want to leave him with anything extra.
- Now, I've done data analysis before; I did a psychology degree so I'm pretty used to it.
- There were two pretty bad ones, but the worst injury was called a sucking chest wound.
- It was a pretty bad injury, and it was pouring blood onto the already stained carpet.
- He sent me quite a handsome apology for his abuse of me so I think he is a pretty decent sort, basically.
- We were both in pretty bad situations to have started a serious relationship.
- Funny, she thought, his injuries looked pretty bad just ten minutes ago.
- Well, yes they did, and we agree that 50 billionths of a degree Kelvin sounds pretty chilly to us.
- The great irony is that being so fit can be pretty unhealthy.
- It is a good vintage and the prices are pretty reasonable in comparison to the 2000.
- I think there are still people who don't realise that it does affect your life to a pretty serious degree.
- Yes, I think, if you are out in the country in England you can get some pretty bad food.
- Their match at Bad Blood was pretty decent and I enjoyed it to a certain degree.
- As I say, this sort of relativism is pretty popular in certain circles.
- I think probably what was dangerous about him was that he was a frustrated poet and really a pretty bad psychiatrist.
- Thanks again to everyone who came by and witnessed some pretty bad drunkenness.
- This morning's exam was not too bad at all - pretty straightforward.
- The government plans to make students pay more for their education, but the price tag for a degree is already pretty hefty.
- My reasoning is that I actually have to be in a pretty bad mood to write this, as sad as that sounds.
Synonyms
quite, rather, somewhat, fairly, reasonably, moderately, comparatively, relatively, tolerably, passably, adequately, satisfactorily, decently, respectably
informal kind of, sort of

nounPlural pretties ˈprɪtiˈprɪdi

informal

1An attractive thing, especially a trinket.
he buys her lots of pretties—bangles and rings
他总是给她买许多小玩意儿——镯子、戒指等不一而足。
Example sentencesExamples
- There is often some confusion as to the naming of these popular pretties since they have the botanical name of Rhododendron and are confused with what are commonly called Rhododendrons.
- I also saw necklaces, many pretties and some uglies too!
- At first it looks kelpy, but underneath the rocks are split by narrow gullies and boulder caves, with lots of pretties to see.
- Now Paradise isn't exactly Eden, yeah, it has a few pretties and it is quite big, but the walls are still coated in sticky mud and, if compared to other cave passage, you might conclude that it is more oppressive than most.
- As promised, three trunks, several hatboxes, and a few normal-sized suitcases had been carefully placed in the center, Amy already working at the task of freeing those pretties and lovelies that rested within.
- Roses have an allure that is difficult to ignore, and having long ago succumbed to the charms of these velvet pretties, I now take some time each spring to revel in their plush petals.
- ‘This is lovely,’ Sara whispered under her breath, but she was so awed by the lovelies and pretties displayed within the glass cases that she didn't notice much of the boutique.
1. 1.1 Used to refer in a condescending way to an attractive person.
  （以高人一等的口吻）漂亮的人；漂亮的孩子
  six pretties in sequined leotards
  穿着缀满闪光片的紧身服的六个小美人。
  Example sentencesExamples
  This role will give Leo's career a shot in the arm, I feel, rather than sink him to a level of ordinary boy-toy pretties of the Tab, Rock, Troy milieu which Mr. Bailey eschews.
  Charles, deciding that we had perhaps had enough surveying for one day, suggested we head to the back to look at the pretties, check out some leads and get back early for once.
  In today's pop culture the pretties fight back.

verbprettied, pretties, prettying ˈprɪtiˈprɪdi

[with object]

Make pretty or attractive.
美化；使漂亮；使可爱
she'll be all prettied up and ready to go in an hour
她一小时后就会打扮得漂漂亮亮，准备出发。
Example sentencesExamples
- Most of us wouldn't choose a career where everything we interact with is prettied up and dumbed down.
- The Temple Walk is between potato fields which was a bit disappointing but they were prettied by bee-friendly blue borage.
- I knew that the film was a sanitised version but I had no idea just how much they prettied it up.
- I prettied myself up and even wore an outfit that Suzi had purchased as a gag gift.
- These rapidly built, but artistically maligned buildings are now prettied up with decorative flourishes and used for museums and churches.
- Considering James Dean in like manner, I ended up with a corpulent, bald and bespectacled Rod Steiger, perhaps prettied up a bit.
- And they prettied it up, designing an interface that displayed hundreds of headlines and photos but that was still easy to navigate.
- Kingston's town centre rangers were busy prettying the borough last week by planting some 250 mature geraniums.
- The good news is that Greg beat me here by a few days and had prettied the place up a bit, so I could find my mail, check my email, make coffee, and go take a nap.
- Now, as another historical note, when I was a kid the most popular kind of lights were the big-bulb multi-colored ones, which didn't really have much class, but sure prettied up the living room.
- Our contribution is being prettied up to make it appear that all our soldiers will be doing is helping rebuild communities.
- One, it's Venice, which doesn't need to be prettied up.
- Some of it is tricky to navigate (it hasn't been prettied up yet) but I think it's worth a bit of your time.
- I won races, treated people nice, prettied myself up, wore sexy outfits, all that stuff.
- The graphics have been prettied up, but the rest of the game has been completely moronized and user-friendlized to foot the bill of I-don't-know-who.
- I didn't feel like getting too prettied up or anything.
- Many of the same themes dominate in bathing suits, with bikinis leading the market but prettied up in charming flower prints, elegant stripes and bold patterns.
- If the boss was coming on a store visit, they were busy prettying the place up.
- I had always hated prettying myself up for the public, and then, amongst the upper crust, I found my inner mood sourer than ever.
- Were the amateurs doing science, or just prettying up the pictures?
Synonyms
beautify, make attractive, make pretty, prettify, pretty up, adorn, ornament, embellish, smarten, glamorize, prink, preen, primp
put make-up on
informal do oneself up
British informal tart oneself up

Phrases

be more than (or not) just a pretty face

Have qualities other than mere attractiveness, especially intelligence.
he is not just a pretty face, he is both talented and charismatic
she is intent on proving that she is not just a pretty face
Example sentencesExamples
- He was the one Hollywood legend who was more than just a pretty face.
- I wanted desperately to prove I was more than just a pretty face.
- This year he has finally proved once and for all that he's not just a pretty face.
- Her work certainly suggests she is far more than just a pretty face.
- Gradually we got to talking and I knew that she wasn't just a pretty face.
- Once again he proves he is not just a pretty face with his brilliant portrayal of Jack.

pretty much (or nearly or well)

informal Very nearly.
〈非正式〉几乎；差不多
the case is pretty well over
这案子差不多结束了。
Example sentencesExamples
- Saudi is pretty well the only country that can turn a tap on and produce another couple of million barrels.
- We were pretty well informed that the proposal would go through without much of a problem.
- Spock is aloof with the rest of the crew, and it's pretty well reciprocated.
- I'm pretty well convinced a new table will be needed, too, or at least a different one.
- Not that we're expecting any guests in the near future because we're pretty well booked up.
- The paraphrase has it that what we are saying is that the surface is pretty nearly bumpy, or very nearly bumpy, or extremely close to being bumpy.
- The nose aromas are pretty well non-existent, with the merest hint of American oak.
- The porn they discovered when the boss closed, that was pretty much the last nail in the coffin.
- I won't of course, but I have pretty well made up my mind not to go on any more of these events.
- When we asked we pretty well knew the answer but it was a salutary experience to see how candid they were.
Synonyms
nearly, almost, just about, about, more or less, practically, virtually, all but, as good as, next to, close to, near, nigh on, not far from, not far off, to all intents and purposes, approaching, bordering on, verging on, nearing

a pretty penny

informal A large sum of money.
〈非正式〉一大笔钱
that car must have cost a pretty penny
Example sentencesExamples
- Leather garments can cost a pretty penny, so it's imperative that you know how to care for them.
- The film was produced for the sole purpose of making a pretty penny.
- One of my teachers bought her goddaughter some stock as a christening gift, it must be worth a pretty penny by now.
- I am considering auctioning off those tickets - which would fetch a pretty penny - and donating the money to charity.
Synonyms
a lot of money, a fortune, a considerable sum of money, a vast sum of money, millions, billions, a king's ransom, a killing, a windfall, a bonanza
a huge amount, a small fortune, a king's ransom, a vast sum, a large sum of money, a lot, a fortune, millions, billions

pretty please

Used as a wheedling form of request.
求求你（强调或讨好的表达方式）
Example sentencesExamples
- Could you, pretty please, scan your autograph and post it on your site so that I could make sure?
- I don't know much about making websites, but I know I don't ever want to go through that again, so do you think you could pretty please install some kind of keyword search on the archives?
- Can you send us the recipe, James, pretty please?
- On a more practical note: pretty please can you take the line-height parameter out of your style-sheet?
- But could you please, pretty please, stay out of the giant shadow of clichéd thought and words?
- Anyone I know reading this, please come with me, pretty please…
- So pretty please, sign da guestbook to let me noe if u read my blog regularly?
- We can't imagine they'll be too fussed about receiving a letter asking them very nicely to appear in court at some stage, at their convenience, if it's not too much trouble, pretty please?
- She told them the problem, passed out a few free tickets and asked them - pretty please - could they find quieter tasks to do during her Wednesday matinees?
- I still haven't figured out how to move my archives over here, but go ahead and change your bookmarks, pretty please.

be sitting pretty

informal Be in an advantageous situation.
〈非正式〉占优势的，处于有利地位的
if she could get sponsors, she would be sitting pretty
如果能得到赞助，她会极占优势。
Example sentencesExamples
- If we'd drawn three aces and two kings, we'd be sitting pretty.
- In five or six years time we will be sitting pretty, believe me.
- Before he started asking questions, the government was sitting pretty.
- And when The New Yorker finally went into the black a few years ago, they were sitting pretty as well.
- Hopefully by the time we start the run-in (six games in April!) we'll still be sitting pretty in 17th spot with all to play for.
- Though we had won the case, the present government is sitting pretty on the issue.
- People sitting on their family homes will be sitting pretty, enjoying continued capital growth, but for developers, the story might be more grim.
- If Grenada is in camp for two to three months and we can't even rally up one practice match who do you think is going to be sitting pretty at the end of the qualifying tournament?
- And, if I ever tire of my collecting, I'll be sitting pretty.
- On the surface it may look like the Federal government is sitting pretty.

Derivatives

prettily

adverb ˈprɪtɪli

As for the ham - you can serve it rolled up prettily on top.
Example sentencesExamples
- On the altar, Alison and her groom kissed again, as prettily as dolls.
- Many of its spurs are prettily sunlit, and what they build up to is inspiring, apocalyptic, a burst of slanting sunbeams from a blue cloud-window.
- Well-known film actresses often posed prettily in elegant cheongsams against the backdrop of idealized gardens or home settings.
- This was a prettily arranged layer of aubergine with tomatoes and mozzarella and was very tasty.

prettiness

noun ˈprɪtɪnəsˈprɪdinəs

What's startling at first is their shimmering prettiness, which nearly masks their confrontational play with identity politics.
Example sentencesExamples
- Because tropical beaches have such inherent prettiness, finding attractive compositions isn't hard.
- Blum's ceramic and drawn flowers likewise invite you to look, then look again, as routine prettiness becomes something more.
- The band's commitment to prettiness is unabashed.
- She was probably even more beautiful than her cousin, not the bright prettiness like her cousin, but this deep alluring beauty.
- Irwin's show is near rebellious in its prettiness.
- At low tide, large areas dry into plains of black mud before the tide restores the creeks to their picture-postcard prettiness.

prettyish

adjective

A very thin, prettyish girl in black trousers and a top took me to a conference room.
Example sentencesExamples
- A prettyish girl, somewhere on the plump-curvy continuum, she dyed her hair a too-brash blonde, and years of peroxide abuse had reduced it to a frizzy, frazzled mess.

Origin

Old English prættig; related to Middle Dutch pertich 'brisk, clever', obsolete Dutch prettig 'humorous, sporty', from a West Germanic base meaning 'trick'. The sense development 'deceitful, cunning, clever, skilful, admirable, pleasing, nice' has parallels in adjectives such as canny, fine, nice, etc..

In his diary entry for 11 May 1660, Samuel Pepys mentions ‘Dr Clerke, who I found to be a very pretty man and very knowing’. Pepys meant that the doctor was admirable, ‘a fine fellow’. This is merely one of the many senses that pretty, a word that comes from a root meaning ‘trick’, has had over the centuries. The first was ‘cunning, crafty’, which was followed by ‘clever, skilful’, ‘brave’, and ‘admirable, pleasing’ before the main modern sense, ‘attractive’ appeared in the 15th century, each step in itself easily followed, even if the modern sense has come a long way from the original. Around that time the meaning ‘considerable, great’ also developed, which is now only found in a pretty penny. Pretty has been used as an adverb in the sense ‘fairly, moderately’, since the mid 16th century. Sitting pretty, ‘comfortably placed or well situated’, is originally American, and is first recorded in 1915.

Rhymes

banditti, bitty, chitty, city, committee, ditty, gritty, intercity, kitty, megacity, nitty-gritty, Pitti, pity, slitty, smriti, spitty, vittae, witty

Definition of pretty in US English:

pretty

adjectiveˈpridēˈprɪdi

1Attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful or handsome.
漂亮的，标致的，好看的
a pretty little girl with an engaging grin
一个带着迷人笑容的漂亮小女孩。
Example sentencesExamples
- Well, just as the person was beginning to do that, a pretty woman walks by and the guard looks at her and waves the guy on.
- She was disgustingly pretty, with beautiful sapphire eyes and smooth complexion.
- She was pretty, in a delicate sort of way, but there was something earthy about her.
- The boys in the whole town are crazy about her since she is so pretty and many girls hate her.
- Who'd want to be like a man when they can be lovely pretty girls?
- One night I ran into a pretty girl who seemed to think I was attractive.
- He blamed it on the fact that he was a naturally shy person, around pretty girls especially.
- He even used to note down who sat in which carriage, and what people wore, especially pretty girls.
- If he hadn't known her there was no cheating, just him being a man attracted to a pretty woman.
- The guy gave in; he couldn't say no to that pretty girl in the nice dress.
- He really did think that she was pretty and would be beautiful if she dressed up a bit.
- Good thing it's nice outside and there are pretty girls walking past.
- He didn't know how he'd ever gotten a nice, pretty girl like her to talk to him.
- She was very shy and she didn't understand what a lovely, pretty girl she was.
- She was around twelve, a fair pretty girl with coffee hair and soft hazel eyes.
- It was a computerised person, a pretty female with a high pitched, girl voice.
- The Arabic language is beautiful, girls are pretty, men are men - and the land is the land.
- Met a really nice and pretty girl on the train home tonight, a student at Portsmouth Uni studying marketing.
- Except for when they told her she was pretty and could attract any guy she wanted.
- People always look at pretty women as not very smart, so you have to do double to prove them wrong.
Synonyms
attractive, lovely, good-looking, nice-looking, fetching, prepossessing, appealing, charming, delightful, nice, engaging, pleasing
1. 1.1informal attributive Used ironically in expressions of annoyance or disgust.
  〈非正式〉好的，妙极了的（表示不悦或厌恶的讽刺语）
  it is a pretty state of affairs when a young fellow prefers the company of Italian fiddlers to taking possession of his own first command
  Example sentencesExamples
  Played in horrible conditions with gusting gales and sweeping rain this was never going to be a pretty affair.
  With the wind dominating affairs this was never going to be a day for pretty rugby.
  This was far from a pretty affair; in fact it was downright ugly.
  The last ten minutes was a scrappy, even bad-tempered, affair, which offered little in the way of pretty football.
  The game began and for thirty minutes it wasn't a pretty affair by any stretch of the imagination.
  A derby match is seldom a pretty affair, with so much at stake games become scrappy.

adverbˈpridēˈprɪdi

To a moderately high degree; fairly.
〈非正式〉相当地；颇
he looked pretty fit for his age
就他这个年纪他看上去相当健康。
Example sentencesExamples
- My reasoning is that I actually have to be in a pretty bad mood to write this, as sad as that sounds.
- Funny, she thought, his injuries looked pretty bad just ten minutes ago.
- Aside from this, the video and audio transfer is fairly grainy and overall pretty horrible.
- This morning's exam was not too bad at all - pretty straightforward.
- Now, I've done data analysis before; I did a psychology degree so I'm pretty used to it.
- He sent me quite a handsome apology for his abuse of me so I think he is a pretty decent sort, basically.
- I think probably what was dangerous about him was that he was a frustrated poet and really a pretty bad psychiatrist.
- As I say, this sort of relativism is pretty popular in certain circles.
- There were two pretty bad ones, but the worst injury was called a sucking chest wound.
- I think there are still people who don't realise that it does affect your life to a pretty serious degree.
- It was a pretty bad injury, and it was pouring blood onto the already stained carpet.
- The great irony is that being so fit can be pretty unhealthy.
- Yes, I think, if you are out in the country in England you can get some pretty bad food.
- Their match at Bad Blood was pretty decent and I enjoyed it to a certain degree.
- It is a good vintage and the prices are pretty reasonable in comparison to the 2000.
- Also, it's a pretty bad breakup, so I don't want to leave him with anything extra.
- Well, yes they did, and we agree that 50 billionths of a degree Kelvin sounds pretty chilly to us.
- We were both in pretty bad situations to have started a serious relationship.
- The government plans to make students pay more for their education, but the price tag for a degree is already pretty hefty.
- Thanks again to everyone who came by and witnessed some pretty bad drunkenness.
Synonyms
quite, rather, somewhat, fairly, reasonably, moderately, comparatively, relatively, tolerably, passably, adequately, satisfactorily, decently, respectably

nounˈpridēˈprɪdi

informal

1An attractive thing, typically a pleasing but unnecessary accessory.
〈非正式〉漂亮东西（尤指悦人但不必要的小饰品）
he buys her lots of pretties—bangles and rings and things
他总是给她买许多小玩意儿——镯子、戒指等不一而足。
Example sentencesExamples
- I also saw necklaces, many pretties and some uglies too!
- Roses have an allure that is difficult to ignore, and having long ago succumbed to the charms of these velvet pretties, I now take some time each spring to revel in their plush petals.
- There is often some confusion as to the naming of these popular pretties since they have the botanical name of Rhododendron and are confused with what are commonly called Rhododendrons.
- As promised, three trunks, several hatboxes, and a few normal-sized suitcases had been carefully placed in the center, Amy already working at the task of freeing those pretties and lovelies that rested within.
- At first it looks kelpy, but underneath the rocks are split by narrow gullies and boulder caves, with lots of pretties to see.
- ‘This is lovely,’ Sara whispered under her breath, but she was so awed by the lovelies and pretties displayed within the glass cases that she didn't notice much of the boutique.
- Now Paradise isn't exactly Eden, yeah, it has a few pretties and it is quite big, but the walls are still coated in sticky mud and, if compared to other cave passage, you might conclude that it is more oppressive than most.
1. 1.1 Used to refer in a condescending way to an attractive person, usually a girl or a woman.
  （以高人一等的口吻）漂亮的人；漂亮的孩子
  six pretties in sequined leotards
  穿着缀满闪光片的紧身服的六个小美人。
  Example sentencesExamples
  In today's pop culture the pretties fight back.
  This role will give Leo's career a shot in the arm, I feel, rather than sink him to a level of ordinary boy-toy pretties of the Tab, Rock, Troy milieu which Mr. Bailey eschews.
  Charles, deciding that we had perhaps had enough surveying for one day, suggested we head to the back to look at the pretties, check out some leads and get back early for once.

verbˈpridēˈprɪdi

[with object]

Make pretty or attractive.
美化；使漂亮；使可爱
she'll be all prettied up and ready to go in an hour
她一小时后就会打扮得漂漂亮亮，准备出发。
Example sentencesExamples
- I prettied myself up and even wore an outfit that Suzi had purchased as a gag gift.
- Considering James Dean in like manner, I ended up with a corpulent, bald and bespectacled Rod Steiger, perhaps prettied up a bit.
- If the boss was coming on a store visit, they were busy prettying the place up.
- The Temple Walk is between potato fields which was a bit disappointing but they were prettied by bee-friendly blue borage.
- One, it's Venice, which doesn't need to be prettied up.
- I had always hated prettying myself up for the public, and then, amongst the upper crust, I found my inner mood sourer than ever.
- Were the amateurs doing science, or just prettying up the pictures?
- And they prettied it up, designing an interface that displayed hundreds of headlines and photos but that was still easy to navigate.
- Some of it is tricky to navigate (it hasn't been prettied up yet) but I think it's worth a bit of your time.
- I knew that the film was a sanitised version but I had no idea just how much they prettied it up.
- Many of the same themes dominate in bathing suits, with bikinis leading the market but prettied up in charming flower prints, elegant stripes and bold patterns.
- The good news is that Greg beat me here by a few days and had prettied the place up a bit, so I could find my mail, check my email, make coffee, and go take a nap.
- Our contribution is being prettied up to make it appear that all our soldiers will be doing is helping rebuild communities.
- These rapidly built, but artistically maligned buildings are now prettied up with decorative flourishes and used for museums and churches.
- I won races, treated people nice, prettied myself up, wore sexy outfits, all that stuff.
- Now, as another historical note, when I was a kid the most popular kind of lights were the big-bulb multi-colored ones, which didn't really have much class, but sure prettied up the living room.
- Kingston's town centre rangers were busy prettying the borough last week by planting some 250 mature geraniums.
- The graphics have been prettied up, but the rest of the game has been completely moronized and user-friendlized to foot the bill of I-don't-know-who.
- Most of us wouldn't choose a career where everything we interact with is prettied up and dumbed down.
- I didn't feel like getting too prettied up or anything.
Synonyms
beautify, make attractive, make pretty, prettify, pretty up, adorn, ornament, embellish, smarten, glamorize, prink, preen, primp

Phrases

pretty much (or nearly or well)

informal Very nearly.
〈非正式〉几乎；差不多
the case is pretty well over
这案子差不多结束了。
Example sentencesExamples
- The paraphrase has it that what we are saying is that the surface is pretty nearly bumpy, or very nearly bumpy, or extremely close to being bumpy.
- I'm pretty well convinced a new table will be needed, too, or at least a different one.
- The nose aromas are pretty well non-existent, with the merest hint of American oak.
- Not that we're expecting any guests in the near future because we're pretty well booked up.
- The porn they discovered when the boss closed, that was pretty much the last nail in the coffin.
- We were pretty well informed that the proposal would go through without much of a problem.
- Saudi is pretty well the only country that can turn a tap on and produce another couple of million barrels.
- Spock is aloof with the rest of the crew, and it's pretty well reciprocated.
- I won't of course, but I have pretty well made up my mind not to go on any more of these events.
- When we asked we pretty well knew the answer but it was a salutary experience to see how candid they were.
Synonyms
nearly, almost, just about, about, more or less, practically, virtually, all but, as good as, next to, close to, near, nigh on, not far from, not far off, to all intents and purposes, approaching, bordering on, verging on, nearing

a pretty penny

informal A large sum of money.
〈非正式〉一大笔钱
Example sentencesExamples
- One of my teachers bought her goddaughter some stock as a christening gift, it must be worth a pretty penny by now.
- Leather garments can cost a pretty penny, so it's imperative that you know how to care for them.
- I am considering auctioning off those tickets - which would fetch a pretty penny - and donating the money to charity.
- The film was produced for the sole purpose of making a pretty penny.
Synonyms
a lot of money, a fortune, a considerable sum of money, a vast sum of money, millions, billions, a king's ransom, a killing, a windfall, a bonanza
a huge amount, a small fortune, a king's ransom, a vast sum, a large sum of money, a lot, a fortune, millions, billions

pretty please

Used as an emphatic or wheedling form of request.
求求你（强调或讨好的表达方式）
Example sentencesExamples
- Anyone I know reading this, please come with me, pretty please…
- So pretty please, sign da guestbook to let me noe if u read my blog regularly?
- We can't imagine they'll be too fussed about receiving a letter asking them very nicely to appear in court at some stage, at their convenience, if it's not too much trouble, pretty please?
- I don't know much about making websites, but I know I don't ever want to go through that again, so do you think you could pretty please install some kind of keyword search on the archives?
- On a more practical note: pretty please can you take the line-height parameter out of your style-sheet?
- Could you, pretty please, scan your autograph and post it on your site so that I could make sure?
- She told them the problem, passed out a few free tickets and asked them - pretty please - could they find quieter tasks to do during her Wednesday matinees?
- But could you please, pretty please, stay out of the giant shadow of clichéd thought and words?
- Can you send us the recipe, James, pretty please?
- I still haven't figured out how to move my archives over here, but go ahead and change your bookmarks, pretty please.

be sitting pretty

informal Be in an advantageous position or situation.
〈非正式〉占优势的，处于有利地位的
if she could get sponsors, she would be sitting pretty
如果能得到赞助，她会极占优势。
Example sentencesExamples
- And when The New Yorker finally went into the black a few years ago, they were sitting pretty as well.
- People sitting on their family homes will be sitting pretty, enjoying continued capital growth, but for developers, the story might be more grim.
- If we'd drawn three aces and two kings, we'd be sitting pretty.
- On the surface it may look like the Federal government is sitting pretty.
- Hopefully by the time we start the run-in (six games in April!) we'll still be sitting pretty in 17th spot with all to play for.
- Though we had won the case, the present government is sitting pretty on the issue.
- Before he started asking questions, the government was sitting pretty.
- If Grenada is in camp for two to three months and we can't even rally up one practice match who do you think is going to be sitting pretty at the end of the qualifying tournament?
- In five or six years time we will be sitting pretty, believe me.
- And, if I ever tire of my collecting, I'll be sitting pretty.

Origin

Old English prættig; related to Middle Dutch pertich ‘brisk, clever’, obsolete Dutch prettig ‘humorous, sporty’, from a West Germanic base meaning ‘trick’. The sense development ‘deceitful, cunning, clever, skillful, admirable, pleasing, nice’ has parallels in adjectives such as canny, fine, nice, etc..

单词	pretty
释义	Definition of pretty in English: pretty adjectiveprettier, prettiest ˈprɪtiˈprɪdi 1(of a person, especially a woman or child) attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful. 漂亮的，标致的，好看的 a pretty little girl with an engaging grin 一个带着迷人笑容的漂亮小女孩。 Example sentencesExamples She was very shy and she didn't understand what a lovely, pretty girl she was. She was around twelve, a fair pretty girl with coffee hair and soft hazel eyes. Good thing it's nice outside and there are pretty girls walking past. Met a really nice and pretty girl on the train home tonight, a student at Portsmouth Uni studying marketing. One night I ran into a pretty girl who seemed to think I was attractive. She was disgustingly pretty, with beautiful sapphire eyes and smooth complexion. He really did think that she was pretty and would be beautiful if she dressed up a bit. She was pretty, in a delicate sort of way, but there was something earthy about her. Who'd want to be like a man when they can be lovely pretty girls? The Arabic language is beautiful, girls are pretty, men are men - and the land is the land. He blamed it on the fact that he was a naturally shy person, around pretty girls especially. The boys in the whole town are crazy about her since she is so pretty and many girls hate her. He didn't know how he'd ever gotten a nice, pretty girl like her to talk to him. It was a computerised person, a pretty female with a high pitched, girl voice. If he hadn't known her there was no cheating, just him being a man attracted to a pretty woman. People always look at pretty women as not very smart, so you have to do double to prove them wrong. The guy gave in; he couldn't say no to that pretty girl in the nice dress. Well, just as the person was beginning to do that, a pretty woman walks by and the guard looks at her and waves the guy on. He even used to note down who sat in which carriage, and what people wore, especially pretty girls. Except for when they told her she was pretty and could attract any guy she wanted. Synonyms attractive, lovely, good-looking, nice-looking, fetching, prepossessing, appealing, charming, delightful, nice, engaging, pleasing darling, sweet, dear, adorable, lovable winning, winsome, cute, as pretty as a picture, dainty, graceful handsome, well favoured, personable, beautiful, glamorous, gorgeous, ravishing, stunning, bewitching, alluring chocolate-box Scottish &amp Northern English bonny informal easy on the eye, adorbs literary beauteous archaic fair, comely 1.1 (of a thing) pleasing to the eye or the ear. （事物）悦目的；悦耳的 a pretty summer dress 好看的夏季连衣裙。 Example sentencesExamples The plant's foliage withers back during the summer while pretty, orange-red berries appear in the fall. The song was pretty, and when he glanced at Alexandra she seemed to be focusing most of her mind on it. Originally quite a good song with a pretty melody it's now some drab techno. That morning she wore a pretty carnation pink dress, a belt clasped perfectly around her waist. I've got one really pretty party dress with a big butterfly on it. She watched the bird with interest, it's pretty song distracting her from what would soon be happening. She has a soft, pretty face and a sweet, unstrident Canadian voice. The lead singer wearing a pretty dress and summer sandals added to the airiness of their set. The sun shone above brightly and the birds sang pretty songs from their places in the blossoming cherry trees. The same held true for clothes - Mary had an intuitive understanding of the power of a pretty dress. She has beautiful even skin and her hair is short and undyed, flecked pretty silver. Each child is bound to know many, along with a pretty song and maybe even a little dance. When two girls came in, in an effort to be polite he told one that the dress she wore was pretty. That's not to say everyone's prancing around in pretty dresses and playing lutes in elven glens. Carina Round drops in to provide the prettiest of pretty harmonies and for just one song the world is at peace. Sorry lads, nothing against your pretty songs, but right now my teeth are gritted and the bright morning sun is in my eyes. She used her skill to please, with pretty, decorative painting, some of which adorns the ceilings of Burlington House. She liked pretty dresses and nice shoes and she enjoyed being a little lady. Is It Up to Me, a really pretty song, was taped live during a rehearsal at the Pyramid on one of those four track cassette jobs. Or get right up to the minute with a lilac summer style with pretty paper flowers on the front for £34.99. 2informal attributive Used ironically to express annoyance or displeasure. 〈非正式〉好的，妙极了的（表示不悦或厌恶的讽刺语） he led me a pretty dance 他真让我转得晕了头。 Example sentencesExamples Played in horrible conditions with gusting gales and sweeping rain this was never going to be a pretty affair. This was far from a pretty affair; in fact it was downright ugly. With the wind dominating affairs this was never going to be a day for pretty rugby. The game began and for thirty minutes it wasn't a pretty affair by any stretch of the imagination. A derby match is seldom a pretty affair, with so much at stake games become scrappy. The last ten minutes was a scrappy, even bad-tempered, affair, which offered little in the way of pretty football. adverb ˈprɪtiˈprɪdi To a moderately high degree; fairly. 〈非正式〉相当地；颇 he looked pretty fit for his age 就他这个年纪他看上去相当健康。 it was a pretty bad injury Example sentencesExamples Aside from this, the video and audio transfer is fairly grainy and overall pretty horrible. Also, it's a pretty bad breakup, so I don't want to leave him with anything extra. Now, I've done data analysis before; I did a psychology degree so I'm pretty used to it. There were two pretty bad ones, but the worst injury was called a sucking chest wound. It was a pretty bad injury, and it was pouring blood onto the already stained carpet. He sent me quite a handsome apology for his abuse of me so I think he is a pretty decent sort, basically. We were both in pretty bad situations to have started a serious relationship. Funny, she thought, his injuries looked pretty bad just ten minutes ago. Well, yes they did, and we agree that 50 billionths of a degree Kelvin sounds pretty chilly to us. The great irony is that being so fit can be pretty unhealthy. It is a good vintage and the prices are pretty reasonable in comparison to the 2000. I think there are still people who don't realise that it does affect your life to a pretty serious degree. Yes, I think, if you are out in the country in England you can get some pretty bad food. Their match at Bad Blood was pretty decent and I enjoyed it to a certain degree. As I say, this sort of relativism is pretty popular in certain circles. I think probably what was dangerous about him was that he was a frustrated poet and really a pretty bad psychiatrist. Thanks again to everyone who came by and witnessed some pretty bad drunkenness. This morning's exam was not too bad at all - pretty straightforward. The government plans to make students pay more for their education, but the price tag for a degree is already pretty hefty. My reasoning is that I actually have to be in a pretty bad mood to write this, as sad as that sounds. Synonyms quite, rather, somewhat, fairly, reasonably, moderately, comparatively, relatively, tolerably, passably, adequately, satisfactorily, decently, respectably informal kind of, sort of nounPlural pretties ˈprɪtiˈprɪdi informal 1An attractive thing, especially a trinket. he buys her lots of pretties—bangles and rings 他总是给她买许多小玩意儿——镯子、戒指等不一而足。 Example sentencesExamples There is often some confusion as to the naming of these popular pretties since they have the botanical name of Rhododendron and are confused with what are commonly called Rhododendrons. I also saw necklaces, many pretties and some uglies too! At first it looks kelpy, but underneath the rocks are split by narrow gullies and boulder caves, with lots of pretties to see. Now Paradise isn't exactly Eden, yeah, it has a few pretties and it is quite big, but the walls are still coated in sticky mud and, if compared to other cave passage, you might conclude that it is more oppressive than most. As promised, three trunks, several hatboxes, and a few normal-sized suitcases had been carefully placed in the center, Amy already working at the task of freeing those pretties and lovelies that rested within. Roses have an allure that is difficult to ignore, and having long ago succumbed to the charms of these velvet pretties, I now take some time each spring to revel in their plush petals. ‘This is lovely,’ Sara whispered under her breath, but she was so awed by the lovelies and pretties displayed within the glass cases that she didn't notice much of the boutique. 1.1 Used to refer in a condescending way to an attractive person. （以高人一等的口吻）漂亮的人；漂亮的孩子 six pretties in sequined leotards 穿着缀满闪光片的紧身服的六个小美人。 Example sentencesExamples This role will give Leo's career a shot in the arm, I feel, rather than sink him to a level of ordinary boy-toy pretties of the Tab, Rock, Troy milieu which Mr. Bailey eschews. Charles, deciding that we had perhaps had enough surveying for one day, suggested we head to the back to look at the pretties, check out some leads and get back early for once. In today's pop culture the pretties fight back. verbprettied, pretties, prettying ˈprɪtiˈprɪdi [with object] Make pretty or attractive. 美化；使漂亮；使可爱 she'll be all prettied up and ready to go in an hour 她一小时后就会打扮得漂漂亮亮，准备出发。 Example sentencesExamples Most of us wouldn't choose a career where everything we interact with is prettied up and dumbed down. The Temple Walk is between potato fields which was a bit disappointing but they were prettied by bee-friendly blue borage. I knew that the film was a sanitised version but I had no idea just how much they prettied it up. I prettied myself up and even wore an outfit that Suzi had purchased as a gag gift. These rapidly built, but artistically maligned buildings are now prettied up with decorative flourishes and used for museums and churches. Considering James Dean in like manner, I ended up with a corpulent, bald and bespectacled Rod Steiger, perhaps prettied up a bit. And they prettied it up, designing an interface that displayed hundreds of headlines and photos but that was still easy to navigate. Kingston's town centre rangers were busy prettying the borough last week by planting some 250 mature geraniums. The good news is that Greg beat me here by a few days and had prettied the place up a bit, so I could find my mail, check my email, make coffee, and go take a nap. Now, as another historical note, when I was a kid the most popular kind of lights were the big-bulb multi-colored ones, which didn't really have much class, but sure prettied up the living room. Our contribution is being prettied up to make it appear that all our soldiers will be doing is helping rebuild communities. One, it's Venice, which doesn't need to be prettied up. Some of it is tricky to navigate (it hasn't been prettied up yet) but I think it's worth a bit of your time. I won races, treated people nice, prettied myself up, wore sexy outfits, all that stuff. The graphics have been prettied up, but the rest of the game has been completely moronized and user-friendlized to foot the bill of I-don't-know-who. I didn't feel like getting too prettied up or anything. Many of the same themes dominate in bathing suits, with bikinis leading the market but prettied up in charming flower prints, elegant stripes and bold patterns. If the boss was coming on a store visit, they were busy prettying the place up. I had always hated prettying myself up for the public, and then, amongst the upper crust, I found my inner mood sourer than ever. Were the amateurs doing science, or just prettying up the pictures? Synonyms beautify, make attractive, make pretty, prettify, pretty up, adorn, ornament, embellish, smarten, glamorize, prink, preen, primp put make-up on informal do oneself up British informal tart oneself up Phrases be more than (or not) just a pretty face Have qualities other than mere attractiveness, especially intelligence. he is not just a pretty face, he is both talented and charismatic she is intent on proving that she is not just a pretty face Example sentencesExamples He was the one Hollywood legend who was more than just a pretty face. I wanted desperately to prove I was more than just a pretty face. This year he has finally proved once and for all that he's not just a pretty face. Her work certainly suggests she is far more than just a pretty face. Gradually we got to talking and I knew that she wasn't just a pretty face. Once again he proves he is not just a pretty face with his brilliant portrayal of Jack. pretty much (or nearly or well) informal Very nearly. 〈非正式〉几乎；差不多 the case is pretty well over 这案子差不多结束了。 Example sentencesExamples Saudi is pretty well the only country that can turn a tap on and produce another couple of million barrels. We were pretty well informed that the proposal would go through without much of a problem. Spock is aloof with the rest of the crew, and it's pretty well reciprocated. I'm pretty well convinced a new table will be needed, too, or at least a different one. Not that we're expecting any guests in the near future because we're pretty well booked up. The paraphrase has it that what we are saying is that the surface is pretty nearly bumpy, or very nearly bumpy, or extremely close to being bumpy. The nose aromas are pretty well non-existent, with the merest hint of American oak. The porn they discovered when the boss closed, that was pretty much the last nail in the coffin. I won't of course, but I have pretty well made up my mind not to go on any more of these events. When we asked we pretty well knew the answer but it was a salutary experience to see how candid they were. Synonyms nearly, almost, just about, about, more or less, practically, virtually, all but, as good as, next to, close to, near, nigh on, not far from, not far off, to all intents and purposes, approaching, bordering on, verging on, nearing a pretty penny informal A large sum of money. 〈非正式〉一大笔钱 that car must have cost a pretty penny Example sentencesExamples Leather garments can cost a pretty penny, so it's imperative that you know how to care for them. The film was produced for the sole purpose of making a pretty penny. One of my teachers bought her goddaughter some stock as a christening gift, it must be worth a pretty penny by now. I am considering auctioning off those tickets - which would fetch a pretty penny - and donating the money to charity. Synonyms a lot of money, a fortune, a considerable sum of money, a vast sum of money, millions, billions, a king's ransom, a killing, a windfall, a bonanza a huge amount, a small fortune, a king's ransom, a vast sum, a large sum of money, a lot, a fortune, millions, billions pretty please Used as a wheedling form of request. 求求你（强调或讨好的表达方式） Example sentencesExamples Could you, pretty please, scan your autograph and post it on your site so that I could make sure? I don't know much about making websites, but I know I don't ever want to go through that again, so do you think you could pretty please install some kind of keyword search on the archives? Can you send us the recipe, James, pretty please? On a more practical note: pretty please can you take the line-height parameter out of your style-sheet? But could you please, pretty please, stay out of the giant shadow of clichéd thought and words? Anyone I know reading this, please come with me, pretty please… So pretty please, sign da guestbook to let me noe if u read my blog regularly? We can't imagine they'll be too fussed about receiving a letter asking them very nicely to appear in court at some stage, at their convenience, if it's not too much trouble, pretty please? She told them the problem, passed out a few free tickets and asked them - pretty please - could they find quieter tasks to do during her Wednesday matinees? I still haven't figured out how to move my archives over here, but go ahead and change your bookmarks, pretty please. be sitting pretty informal Be in an advantageous situation. 〈非正式〉占优势的，处于有利地位的 if she could get sponsors, she would be sitting pretty 如果能得到赞助，她会极占优势。 Example sentencesExamples If we'd drawn three aces and two kings, we'd be sitting pretty. In five or six years time we will be sitting pretty, believe me. Before he started asking questions, the government was sitting pretty. And when The New Yorker finally went into the black a few years ago, they were sitting pretty as well. Hopefully by the time we start the run-in (six games in April!) we'll still be sitting pretty in 17th spot with all to play for. Though we had won the case, the present government is sitting pretty on the issue. People sitting on their family homes will be sitting pretty, enjoying continued capital growth, but for developers, the story might be more grim. If Grenada is in camp for two to three months and we can't even rally up one practice match who do you think is going to be sitting pretty at the end of the qualifying tournament? And, if I ever tire of my collecting, I'll be sitting pretty. On the surface it may look like the Federal government is sitting pretty. Derivatives prettily adverb ˈprɪtɪli As for the ham - you can serve it rolled up prettily on top. Example sentencesExamples On the altar, Alison and her groom kissed again, as prettily as dolls. Many of its spurs are prettily sunlit, and what they build up to is inspiring, apocalyptic, a burst of slanting sunbeams from a blue cloud-window. Well-known film actresses often posed prettily in elegant cheongsams against the backdrop of idealized gardens or home settings. This was a prettily arranged layer of aubergine with tomatoes and mozzarella and was very tasty. prettiness noun ˈprɪtɪnəsˈprɪdinəs What's startling at first is their shimmering prettiness, which nearly masks their confrontational play with identity politics. Example sentencesExamples Because tropical beaches have such inherent prettiness, finding attractive compositions isn't hard. Blum's ceramic and drawn flowers likewise invite you to look, then look again, as routine prettiness becomes something more. The band's commitment to prettiness is unabashed. She was probably even more beautiful than her cousin, not the bright prettiness like her cousin, but this deep alluring beauty. Irwin's show is near rebellious in its prettiness. At low tide, large areas dry into plains of black mud before the tide restores the creeks to their picture-postcard prettiness. prettyish adjective A very thin, prettyish girl in black trousers and a top took me to a conference room. Example sentencesExamples A prettyish girl, somewhere on the plump-curvy continuum, she dyed her hair a too-brash blonde, and years of peroxide abuse had reduced it to a frizzy, frazzled mess. Origin Old English prættig; related to Middle Dutch pertich 'brisk, clever', obsolete Dutch prettig 'humorous, sporty', from a West Germanic base meaning 'trick'. The sense development 'deceitful, cunning, clever, skilful, admirable, pleasing, nice' has parallels in adjectives such as canny, fine, nice, etc.. In his diary entry for 11 May 1660, Samuel Pepys mentions ‘Dr Clerke, who I found to be a very pretty man and very knowing’. Pepys meant that the doctor was admirable, ‘a fine fellow’. This is merely one of the many senses that pretty, a word that comes from a root meaning ‘trick’, has had over the centuries. The first was ‘cunning, crafty’, which was followed by ‘clever, skilful’, ‘brave’, and ‘admirable, pleasing’ before the main modern sense, ‘attractive’ appeared in the 15th century, each step in itself easily followed, even if the modern sense has come a long way from the original. Around that time the meaning ‘considerable, great’ also developed, which is now only found in a pretty penny. Pretty has been used as an adverb in the sense ‘fairly, moderately’, since the mid 16th century. Sitting pretty, ‘comfortably placed or well situated’, is originally American, and is first recorded in 1915. Rhymes banditti, bitty, chitty, city, committee, ditty, gritty, intercity, kitty, megacity, nitty-gritty, Pitti, pity, slitty, smriti, spitty, vittae, witty adj.1 phr. Definition of pretty in US English: pretty adjectiveˈpridēˈprɪdi 1Attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful or handsome. 漂亮的，标致的，好看的 a pretty little girl with an engaging grin 一个带着迷人笑容的漂亮小女孩。 Example sentencesExamples Well, just as the person was beginning to do that, a pretty woman walks by and the guard looks at her and waves the guy on. She was disgustingly pretty, with beautiful sapphire eyes and smooth complexion. She was pretty, in a delicate sort of way, but there was something earthy about her. The boys in the whole town are crazy about her since she is so pretty and many girls hate her. Who'd want to be like a man when they can be lovely pretty girls? One night I ran into a pretty girl who seemed to think I was attractive. He blamed it on the fact that he was a naturally shy person, around pretty girls especially. He even used to note down who sat in which carriage, and what people wore, especially pretty girls. If he hadn't known her there was no cheating, just him being a man attracted to a pretty woman. The guy gave in; he couldn't say no to that pretty girl in the nice dress. He really did think that she was pretty and would be beautiful if she dressed up a bit. Good thing it's nice outside and there are pretty girls walking past. He didn't know how he'd ever gotten a nice, pretty girl like her to talk to him. She was very shy and she didn't understand what a lovely, pretty girl she was. She was around twelve, a fair pretty girl with coffee hair and soft hazel eyes. It was a computerised person, a pretty female with a high pitched, girl voice. The Arabic language is beautiful, girls are pretty, men are men - and the land is the land. Met a really nice and pretty girl on the train home tonight, a student at Portsmouth Uni studying marketing. Except for when they told her she was pretty and could attract any guy she wanted. People always look at pretty women as not very smart, so you have to do double to prove them wrong. Synonyms attractive, lovely, good-looking, nice-looking, fetching, prepossessing, appealing, charming, delightful, nice, engaging, pleasing 1.1informal attributive Used ironically in expressions of annoyance or disgust. 〈非正式〉好的，妙极了的（表示不悦或厌恶的讽刺语） it is a pretty state of affairs when a young fellow prefers the company of Italian fiddlers to taking possession of his own first command Example sentencesExamples Played in horrible conditions with gusting gales and sweeping rain this was never going to be a pretty affair. With the wind dominating affairs this was never going to be a day for pretty rugby. This was far from a pretty affair; in fact it was downright ugly. The last ten minutes was a scrappy, even bad-tempered, affair, which offered little in the way of pretty football. The game began and for thirty minutes it wasn't a pretty affair by any stretch of the imagination. A derby match is seldom a pretty affair, with so much at stake games become scrappy. adverbˈpridēˈprɪdi To a moderately high degree; fairly. 〈非正式〉相当地；颇 he looked pretty fit for his age 就他这个年纪他看上去相当健康。 Example sentencesExamples My reasoning is that I actually have to be in a pretty bad mood to write this, as sad as that sounds. Funny, she thought, his injuries looked pretty bad just ten minutes ago. Aside from this, the video and audio transfer is fairly grainy and overall pretty horrible. This morning's exam was not too bad at all - pretty straightforward. Now, I've done data analysis before; I did a psychology degree so I'm pretty used to it. He sent me quite a handsome apology for his abuse of me so I think he is a pretty decent sort, basically. I think probably what was dangerous about him was that he was a frustrated poet and really a pretty bad psychiatrist. As I say, this sort of relativism is pretty popular in certain circles. There were two pretty bad ones, but the worst injury was called a sucking chest wound. I think there are still people who don't realise that it does affect your life to a pretty serious degree. It was a pretty bad injury, and it was pouring blood onto the already stained carpet. The great irony is that being so fit can be pretty unhealthy. Yes, I think, if you are out in the country in England you can get some pretty bad food. Their match at Bad Blood was pretty decent and I enjoyed it to a certain degree. It is a good vintage and the prices are pretty reasonable in comparison to the 2000. Also, it's a pretty bad breakup, so I don't want to leave him with anything extra. Well, yes they did, and we agree that 50 billionths of a degree Kelvin sounds pretty chilly to us. We were both in pretty bad situations to have started a serious relationship. The government plans to make students pay more for their education, but the price tag for a degree is already pretty hefty. Thanks again to everyone who came by and witnessed some pretty bad drunkenness. Synonyms quite, rather, somewhat, fairly, reasonably, moderately, comparatively, relatively, tolerably, passably, adequately, satisfactorily, decently, respectably nounˈpridēˈprɪdi informal 1An attractive thing, typically a pleasing but unnecessary accessory. 〈非正式〉漂亮东西（尤指悦人但不必要的小饰品） he buys her lots of pretties—bangles and rings and things 他总是给她买许多小玩意儿——镯子、戒指等不一而足。 Example sentencesExamples I also saw necklaces, many pretties and some uglies too! Roses have an allure that is difficult to ignore, and having long ago succumbed to the charms of these velvet pretties, I now take some time each spring to revel in their plush petals. There is often some confusion as to the naming of these popular pretties since they have the botanical name of Rhododendron and are confused with what are commonly called Rhododendrons. As promised, three trunks, several hatboxes, and a few normal-sized suitcases had been carefully placed in the center, Amy already working at the task of freeing those pretties and lovelies that rested within. At first it looks kelpy, but underneath the rocks are split by narrow gullies and boulder caves, with lots of pretties to see. ‘This is lovely,’ Sara whispered under her breath, but she was so awed by the lovelies and pretties displayed within the glass cases that she didn't notice much of the boutique. Now Paradise isn't exactly Eden, yeah, it has a few pretties and it is quite big, but the walls are still coated in sticky mud and, if compared to other cave passage, you might conclude that it is more oppressive than most. 1.1 Used to refer in a condescending way to an attractive person, usually a girl or a woman. （以高人一等的口吻）漂亮的人；漂亮的孩子 six pretties in sequined leotards 穿着缀满闪光片的紧身服的六个小美人。 Example sentencesExamples In today's pop culture the pretties fight back. This role will give Leo's career a shot in the arm, I feel, rather than sink him to a level of ordinary boy-toy pretties of the Tab, Rock, Troy milieu which Mr. Bailey eschews. Charles, deciding that we had perhaps had enough surveying for one day, suggested we head to the back to look at the pretties, check out some leads and get back early for once. verbˈpridēˈprɪdi [with object] Make pretty or attractive. 美化；使漂亮；使可爱 she'll be all prettied up and ready to go in an hour 她一小时后就会打扮得漂漂亮亮，准备出发。 Example sentencesExamples I prettied myself up and even wore an outfit that Suzi had purchased as a gag gift. Considering James Dean in like manner, I ended up with a corpulent, bald and bespectacled Rod Steiger, perhaps prettied up a bit. If the boss was coming on a store visit, they were busy prettying the place up. The Temple Walk is between potato fields which was a bit disappointing but they were prettied by bee-friendly blue borage. One, it's Venice, which doesn't need to be prettied up. I had always hated prettying myself up for the public, and then, amongst the upper crust, I found my inner mood sourer than ever. Were the amateurs doing science, or just prettying up the pictures? And they prettied it up, designing an interface that displayed hundreds of headlines and photos but that was still easy to navigate. Some of it is tricky to navigate (it hasn't been prettied up yet) but I think it's worth a bit of your time. I knew that the film was a sanitised version but I had no idea just how much they prettied it up. Many of the same themes dominate in bathing suits, with bikinis leading the market but prettied up in charming flower prints, elegant stripes and bold patterns. The good news is that Greg beat me here by a few days and had prettied the place up a bit, so I could find my mail, check my email, make coffee, and go take a nap. Our contribution is being prettied up to make it appear that all our soldiers will be doing is helping rebuild communities. These rapidly built, but artistically maligned buildings are now prettied up with decorative flourishes and used for museums and churches. I won races, treated people nice, prettied myself up, wore sexy outfits, all that stuff. Now, as another historical note, when I was a kid the most popular kind of lights were the big-bulb multi-colored ones, which didn't really have much class, but sure prettied up the living room. Kingston's town centre rangers were busy prettying the borough last week by planting some 250 mature geraniums. The graphics have been prettied up, but the rest of the game has been completely moronized and user-friendlized to foot the bill of I-don't-know-who. Most of us wouldn't choose a career where everything we interact with is prettied up and dumbed down. I didn't feel like getting too prettied up or anything. Synonyms beautify, make attractive, make pretty, prettify, pretty up, adorn, ornament, embellish, smarten, glamorize, prink, preen, primp Phrases pretty much (or nearly or well) informal Very nearly. 〈非正式〉几乎；差不多 the case is pretty well over 这案子差不多结束了。 Example sentencesExamples The paraphrase has it that what we are saying is that the surface is pretty nearly bumpy, or very nearly bumpy, or extremely close to being bumpy. I'm pretty well convinced a new table will be needed, too, or at least a different one. The nose aromas are pretty well non-existent, with the merest hint of American oak. Not that we're expecting any guests in the near future because we're pretty well booked up. The porn they discovered when the boss closed, that was pretty much the last nail in the coffin. We were pretty well informed that the proposal would go through without much of a problem. Saudi is pretty well the only country that can turn a tap on and produce another couple of million barrels. Spock is aloof with the rest of the crew, and it's pretty well reciprocated. I won't of course, but I have pretty well made up my mind not to go on any more of these events. When we asked we pretty well knew the answer but it was a salutary experience to see how candid they were. Synonyms nearly, almost, just about, about, more or less, practically, virtually, all but, as good as, next to, close to, near, nigh on, not far from, not far off, to all intents and purposes, approaching, bordering on, verging on, nearing a pretty penny informal A large sum of money. 〈非正式〉一大笔钱 Example sentencesExamples One of my teachers bought her goddaughter some stock as a christening gift, it must be worth a pretty penny by now. Leather garments can cost a pretty penny, so it's imperative that you know how to care for them. I am considering auctioning off those tickets - which would fetch a pretty penny - and donating the money to charity. The film was produced for the sole purpose of making a pretty penny. Synonyms a lot of money, a fortune, a considerable sum of money, a vast sum of money, millions, billions, a king's ransom, a killing, a windfall, a bonanza a huge amount, a small fortune, a king's ransom, a vast sum, a large sum of money, a lot, a fortune, millions, billions pretty please Used as an emphatic or wheedling form of request. 求求你（强调或讨好的表达方式） Example sentencesExamples Anyone I know reading this, please come with me, pretty please… So pretty please, sign da guestbook to let me noe if u read my blog regularly? We can't imagine they'll be too fussed about receiving a letter asking them very nicely to appear in court at some stage, at their convenience, if it's not too much trouble, pretty please? I don't know much about making websites, but I know I don't ever want to go through that again, so do you think you could pretty please install some kind of keyword search on the archives? On a more practical note: pretty please can you take the line-height parameter out of your style-sheet? Could you, pretty please, scan your autograph and post it on your site so that I could make sure? She told them the problem, passed out a few free tickets and asked them - pretty please - could they find quieter tasks to do during her Wednesday matinees? But could you please, pretty please, stay out of the giant shadow of clichéd thought and words? Can you send us the recipe, James, pretty please? I still haven't figured out how to move my archives over here, but go ahead and change your bookmarks, pretty please. be sitting pretty informal Be in an advantageous position or situation. 〈非正式〉占优势的，处于有利地位的 if she could get sponsors, she would be sitting pretty 如果能得到赞助，她会极占优势。 Example sentencesExamples And when The New Yorker finally went into the black a few years ago, they were sitting pretty as well. People sitting on their family homes will be sitting pretty, enjoying continued capital growth, but for developers, the story might be more grim. If we'd drawn three aces and two kings, we'd be sitting pretty. On the surface it may look like the Federal government is sitting pretty. Hopefully by the time we start the run-in (six games in April!) we'll still be sitting pretty in 17th spot with all to play for. Though we had won the case, the present government is sitting pretty on the issue. Before he started asking questions, the government was sitting pretty. If Grenada is in camp for two to three months and we can't even rally up one practice match who do you think is going to be sitting pretty at the end of the qualifying tournament? In five or six years time we will be sitting pretty, believe me. And, if I ever tire of my collecting, I'll be sitting pretty. Origin Old English prættig; related to Middle Dutch pertich ‘brisk, clever’, obsolete Dutch prettig ‘humorous, sporty’, from a West Germanic base meaning ‘trick’. The sense development ‘deceitful, cunning, clever, skillful, admirable, pleasing, nice’ has parallels in adjectives such as canny, fine, nice, etc.. adj.1 phr.
随便看	many-what many-where many-wheres many-worded many-worlds manzanilla manzanillas manzanita manzanitas manzello manzo Manzoni, Alessandro manáda manège Mao mao Mao flu MAOI maoisation Maoisation Maoism Maoist Maoist Maoization Maoized