From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
pretty
adj 1: pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing; "pretty girl";
"pretty song"; "pretty room"
2: (used ironically) unexpectedly bad; "a pretty mess"; "a
pretty kettle of fish"
adv : used as an intensifier (`jolly' is used informally in
Britain); "pretty big"; "pretty bad"; "jolly decent of
him" [syn: jolly]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pretty \Pret"ty\, a. [Compar. Prettier; superl. Prettiest.]
[OE. prati, AS. pr[ae]ttig, pr[ae]tig, crafty, sly, akin to
pr[ae]t, pr[ae]tt, deceit, trickery, Icel. prettugr tricky,
prettr a trick; probably fr. Latin, perhaps through Celtic;
cf. W. praith act, deed, practice, LL. practica execution,
practice, plot. See Practice.]
1. Pleasing by delicacy or grace; attracting, but not
striking or impressing; of a pleasing and attractive form
a color; having slight or diminutive beauty; neat or
elegant without elevation or grandeur; pleasingly, but not
grandly, conceived or expressed; as, a pretty face; a
pretty flower; a pretty poem.
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This is the prettiest lowborn lass that ever
Ran on the greensward. --Shak.
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2. Moderately large; considerable; as, he had saved a pretty
fortune. "Wavering a pretty while." --Evelyn.
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3. Affectedly nice; foppish; -- used in an ill sense.
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The pretty gentleman is the most complaisant in the
world. --Spectator.
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4. Mean; despicable; contemptible; -- used ironically; as, a
pretty trick; a pretty fellow.
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5. Stout; strong and brave; intrepid; valiant. [Scot.]
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[He] observed they were pretty men, meaning not
handsome. --Sir W.
Scott.
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Syn: Elegant; neat; fine. See Handsome.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Pretty \Pret"ty\, adv.
In some degree; moderately; considerably; rather; almost; --
less emphatic than very; as, I am pretty sure of the fact;
pretty cold weather.
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Pretty plainly professes himself a sincere Christian.
--Atterbury.
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