prettiness C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈprɪtinəs/ UK /ˈprɪtinəs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the quality of being attractive in a delicate or dainty way The dress had a fragile prettiness that suited the spring afternoon. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the quality of being... beautyattractivenesslovelinesscomelinessdaintinesscharm ↔ Opposites uglinessplainness Word family Related forms prettyprettify Etymology AI details From pretty (from Old English prættig 'cunning, crafty', from prætt 'trick, wile') + the suffix -ness. The modern 'attractive' sense developed in Middle English. prættig Old English -ness Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # prettiness **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈprɪtinəs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈprɪtinəs/ ## Meanings 1. the quality of being attractive in a delicate or dainty way ## Examples - The dress had a fragile prettiness that suited the spring afternoon. ## Synonyms - beauty - attractiveness - loveliness - comeliness - daintiness - charm ## Antonyms - ugliness - plainness ## Related Forms - pretty - prettify ## Roots and Affixes - Root: prættig - Root: -ness ## Etymology From pretty (from Old English prættig 'cunning, crafty', from prætt 'trick, wile') + the suffix -ness. The modern 'attractive' sense developed in Middle English. ## AI Etymology Prettiness is from pretty (from Old English prættig 'cunning, crafty', from prætt 'trick, wile') + the suffix -ness. The modern 'attractive' sense developed in Middle English. Important recorded forms include prættig (Old English) and -ness (Old English). Morphologically, the word preserves a built structure whose named elements carry the historical sense into English. The modern sense remains close to that composition, with the parts narrowing into a single lexical item. In current use it covers the quality of being attractive in a delicate or dainty way. The wider family includes related words such as pretty and prettify. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown