pretty boy

1
as in dude
a man extremely interested in his clothing and personal appearance a downtown dance club with lots of pretty boys in attendance

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in stud
a physically attractive man as a musical performer, he has yet to prove that he's more than just another pretty boy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pretty boy At Hartford Stage, Rafael Jordan plays Sterling as a smooth-talking pretty boy who seems unwilling to get his hands dirty. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 Feb. 2025 Scott’s Tom Ripley was a clean break from that of Matt Damon; instead of a petulant pretty boy seized by envy and lust, this Ripley was older (Scott is in his late forties) and scarier, a lonesome manipulator with a murderous gleam in his eye. Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024 How to adopt: Interested adopters can meet pretty boy Pepper at the Arizona Humane Society’s South Mountain location. The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 21 Jan. 2023 Austin Butler’s version of Elvis is a sulky pretty boy with smokey-eye makeup, loud silk shirts, and lips the color and texture of bubblegum. Katie Rife, Vulture, 24 June 2022 Brave, brilliant, ugly Cyrano yearns for Roxane (Evelyn Miller), who has fallen in love with pretty boy Christian (Eben Figueiredo), a soldier who has just enlisted in Cyrano’s tough-talking military regiment. Helen Shaw, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2022 John Boyega plays Dahomey’s young king, Ghezo, a benevolent if somewhat pretty boy leader who takes on soft diplomacy while deploying his Agojie to collect the heads of his enemies. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 16 Sep. 2022 This was the last time Leo would try to headline a big-budget movie still looking like the pretty boy of Titanic; after this, his next four films were for either Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 29 Dec. 2021 To compare his 1955 Newman, a pretty boy whose smile is a quick squiggle, with the Newman of 2002, his features still handsome but etched by the passage of a half-century, is an epitome in two drawings of Hirschfeld’s art. Terry Teachout, WSJ, 6 Apr. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pretty boy
Noun
  • The new songs and narrative changes are rather good, too, but the seven short CGI dudes are instantly forgettable.
    Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
  • This guy's just a regular dude, a regular parental figure, a surrogate dad for the character of Lily in the movie.
    Yolanda Machado, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Even when there are stud prospects expected to become first-round picks there’s no guarantee those players will even pan out, becoming quarterbacks who can carry a franchise for a couple of years.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Bill Self appears to be doing for Peterson what Jon Scheyer did for Cooper Flagg, built a roster around his stud freshman.
    CJ Moore, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Cabello wore a dark plaid suit, while her new beau sported a heather gray jacket and trousers with a black scarf.
    Jordana Comiter, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Chelsea and her older beau, Rick, who so far seem to have a healthy connection in The White Lotus season three.
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The Incroyables in France and Beau Brummell dandies were satirized by cartoonists for their corseting and groin-centric trouser display.
    Sarah Mower, Vogue, 19 Mar. 2022
  • Buy the Book From Beau Brummell to Emily Adams Bode, The Men’s Fashion Book documents over 200 years of fashion history by spotlighting the people and brands that have shaped the world of menswear.
    WSJ, WSJ, 1 Oct. 2021
Noun
  • Later Baby Shark and Pinkfong, the name of a pink fox character, ride on SeaWorld attractions.
    Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025
  • Sightings of Bon Secour’s resident nesting sea turtles, endangered Alabama beach mice, more than 350 species of migratory birds, foxes, armadillos, and more are common.
    Jennifer Stewart Kornegay, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • God bless—keep a big hunk of it.
    Jeffery Vacante, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2025
  • The hunk was accompanied by his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
    Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The filmmakers ensure that viewers similar in age to the kids on screen get an eyeful of what those robotics gatherings are like for their contestants, who arrive from all over the globe.
    Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Overall, Printemps New York is a multifaceted, visual eyeful, where the architecture and decor might overwhelm the merchandise for some.
    David Moin, WWD, 3 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pretty boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pretty%20boy. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

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