beauteous C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈbjutiəs/ UK /ˈbjuːtiəs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj beautiful (literary or poetic) The poet praised her beauteous and serene countenance. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · beautiful (literary or poetic) beautifullovelyfaircomelygorgeousfetchingexquisite ↔ Opposites uglyhideousplainunsightly Word family Derived forms beauteouslybeauteousness Related forms beautybeautifulbeau Etymology AI details From Middle English beaute (from Old French biaute) plus the suffix -ous; ultimately from Latin bellus ('pretty'). biaute Old French bellus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # beauteous **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbjutiəs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbjuːtiəs/ ## Meanings 1. beautiful (literary or poetic) ## Examples - The poet praised her beauteous and serene countenance. ## Synonyms - beautiful - lovely - fair - comely - gorgeous - fetching - exquisite ## Antonyms - ugly - hideous - plain - unsightly ## Derived Forms - beauteously - beauteousness ## Related Forms - beauty - beautiful - beau ## Roots and Affixes - Root: biaute - Root: bellus ## Etymology From Middle English beaute (from Old French biaute) plus the suffix -ous; ultimately from Latin bellus ('pretty'). ## AI Etymology beauteous comes from Middle English beaute (from Old French biaute) plus the suffix -ous; ultimately from Latin bellus ('pretty'). The path is chiefly one of transmission: an older form is taken into English, with the word's shape and meaning carried through the language names and forms preserved in the history. In modern use, the adjective sense is "beautiful (literary or poetic)", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes related English forms such as beauty, beautiful, beau and derivatives such as beauteously, beauteousness, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old French biaute, Latin bellus, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives - Register & Style markdown