PRETTY OR BEAUTIFUL?

Here are some adjectives that often cause confusion:

We use pretty to mean attractive in an endearing, cute or delicate way. We can use it about people or things:

a pretty girl; a pretty cottage

The Elgar Birthplace in Worcester, England - a pretty cottage

[Sometimes "pretty" can be translated as carino in Italian.]

We use beautiful to mean wonderful in a sensory way, especially when we are talking about the sense of sight. We can use it about females or things but we do not usually use it to describe a male person:

a beautiful woman; a beautiful picture

To describe a male person, we usually use handsome instead of "beautiful":

a handsome man

We use lovely to mean that someone or something has a beauty that is more than physical:

a lovely man - the man is a very nice, kind person. He may or may not be attractive to look at, too.

a lovely day - the day is not only sunny but has qualities that appeal to the emotions.

We often say, "I'm having a lovely time" to mean "I'm enjoying myself".

Roy Orbison - Pretty Woman