What does beauty mean?
Beauty is a noun denoting the quality of giving pleasure to the senses or the mind, whether through physical appearance, harmonious form, elegant design, or admirable character. It functions both as an abstract concept — as in discussions of art, nature, and aesthetics — and as a concrete label for whatever embodies that quality, such as a striking landscape or an elegant solution to a problem. In everyday informal English, calling something "a beauty" signals admiration or excellence, as when praising a well-crafted machine or a clever move in a game. The word appears constantly in fixed expressions such as "natural beauty," "a thing of beauty," and "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," which acknowledges how subjective aesthetic judgment can be. Because it spans the physical, intellectual, and moral domains, beauty remains one of English's most versatile words of praise, useful in contexts ranging from casual conversation to philosophy and art criticism.
A combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses or the mind; also, a person or thing embodying such qualities exceptionally well.
"Everyone who visited remarked on the untouched beauty of the mountain valley."
Uncountable when denoting the abstract quality (e.g., 'the beauty of nature'); countable when denoting individual instances or examples (plural 'beauties').
An outstanding or excellent example of something; used informally to express strong approval.
"That vintage motorcycle is a real beauty."
Used only in the countable sense — referring to individual beautiful people, things, or pleasing features — never for the abstract quality itself.
"The guidebook highlights the natural beauties of the coastline, from hidden coves to windswept cliffs."
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" may be older than you think — the idea traces back to ancient Greek writings, and the exact phrasing first appeared in print in the 19th century.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of beauty
Beauty entered Middle English from Anglo-Norman French 'beute', derived from Vulgar Latin 'bellitas', a noun formed from Latin 'bellus' meaning pretty or charming. The word has been in continuous use since roughly the early 14th century, with spellings gradually settling on the modern form by the Early Modern period. Its Romance relatives include Old French 'biauté' and Italian 'beltà', all ultimately tracing back to the same Latin root that also gave English 'beautiful' via the later borrowing of 'beauty' plus the suffix '-ful'.
Related word forms
How beauty is actually used
Beauty is an uncountable noun when referring to the abstract quality, but takes the plural 'beauties' when referring to individual attractive people, things, or pleasing features. In informal speech it can serve as an exclamatory term of approval. The word carries broadly positive connotation across registers.
Easily confused with beauty
'Bounty' means generosity or a generous gift/reward, while 'beauty' refers to pleasing aesthetic qualities — they sound somewhat alike but are unrelated in meaning.