plural beauties
Synonyms of beauty
1
: the quality or group of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or the mind : loveliness
exploring the natural beauty of the island
A thing of beauty is a joy forever …John Keats
Buddhism has taught me that inner beauty, the beauty that comes from loving and accepting yourself, imperfections and all, radiates to the outside.Tina Turner, quoted at nbcnews.com
often, specifically : the quality of being physically attractive
… she relies on a minimalist makeup routine to enhance her natural beauty. Kiana Murden
… knows how to move, which is surprising given his muscled bulk, and is at ease with his beauty. Manohla Dargis
often used before another noun
beauty products
the beauty industry
my morning beauty routine
Our culture's beauty standards and stereotypes are not going to disappear overnight, but we have made some progress. Allie Bloom
2
a
: a person (especially a woman) who is beautiful
was known as a great beauty in her time
b
: something that is beautiful or excellent
That's a beauty of a car.
went fishing and caught a couple of beauties
Our favorite apple tree … is a real beauty. Standing over 20 feet tall, it produces buckets and buckets of apples.Steve McBride
often used ironically
That mistake was a beauty!
3
: an excellent or appealing quality
… If you hate it—just paint over it. That's the beauty of working with paint.Annie Sloan, quoted at theguardian.com
One of the beauties of cast iron cookware is that it can be used almost anywhere.Lily Alig
4
physics : bottom sense 9

Examples of beauty in a Sentence

We explored the natural beauty of the island. I'm learning to appreciate the beauty of poetry. We explored the natural beauties of the island. She was one of the great beauties of her time.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Historic Festival brings together a diverse field of historic racing machines for a Labor Day Weekend celebration of speed, sound and beauty with classes that range from pre-war open-wheel cars to the sports and formula cars of the postwar era. Mark Maglio, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026 Best Last-Chance Amazon Beauty Labor Day Sales The clock is ticking down on Amazon’s Labor Day beauty discounts, so stock up on finds from Laneige, Medicube, Olay, and more popular brands. Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, Jim Williams’ score effectively undermines the beauty parlour as a place of pre-wedding excitement and anticipation with discordant electro-pop — just ever so slightly suggesting that nothing good is set to happen here. Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026 Whether the fruit is edible for humans or serves as food for wildlife, berry bushes are typically low-maintenance and offer multi-seasonal beauty in the garden. Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for beauty

Word History

Etymology

Middle English beaute, bealte, borrowed from Anglo-French, from bel, beau "beautiful, good-looking" (going back to Latin bellus) + -te -ty — more at beau

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of beauty was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beauty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beauty. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

plural beauties
1
: the qualities of a person or a thing that give pleasure to the senses
2
: a lovely person or thing
especially : a lovely woman
3
: an outstanding example
that's a beauty of a black eye
Etymology

Middle English beaute "beauty," derived from early French bel "beautiful," from Latin bellus "pretty" — related to beau, belle

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