to pretty
- verb
- /ˈprɪti/
- Informal
- After a long day of work, he spent the evening prettying up his presentation for the meeting.
Examples
-
She decided to pretty the garden with colorful flowers and decorative stones.
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And Mum had already started prettying hers up.
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I am going to pretty this thing up, get it ready to sell.
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"You can dirty them, you can pretty them," she said.
Fiction book (1997) -
Anyway, while our sister act pretties up...
-
Just don't pretty it up
Blog text (23) -
Cathy's prettying up the guest room.
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Prettying up is no longer a bland, routine experience.
Blog text (15) -
The committee plans to pretty the old park with new benches and vibrant murals.
Synonyms
To make something look nicer by adding paint, ornaments, or other items
Make something look nicer or more attractive for a special event
To make a place or person look neat and smart
To make something more beautiful by adding decorative details
To make a place or person more attractive by adding decorations like paint
Make something or someone look fancier by adding decorations
Make people and places look nicer by dressing up, adding decorations, or using makeup
To dress or decorate in a fancy way to look nicer
To add decorations to something to make it look nicer
Make a person or place look neater and nicer by cleaning and adding small things
Make something look more attractive, often only on the surface
To make something better in how it works or how it looks
Make something look more stylish and attractive
Make something look more attractive by adding decorations
To make someone or something look stylish and attractive with makeup and clothes
To make something or yourself look neat and attractive
To make something look more beautiful or artistic
Idioms
- Offensive
A person who is attractive but thought to have little intelligence or real skill
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
Make people and places look nicer by dressing up, adding decorations, or using makeup
Compounds
How Attractive
- Informal
- Informal
Surface Forms
Etymology
Prettied (to 'pretty' something up) is just using the adjective pretty as an action: to 'make something pretty'. That is why saying 'She prettied the room' means she made the room more attractive.