pretty boy
34
5.5
- noun
- /ˈprɪti bɔɪ/
- Informal
:
chico guapo
- Another pretty boy in his kitchen, in the buff, squeezing citrus and singing Sondheim.
- just a pretty boy
- young pretty boy
- a Hollywood pretty boy
But a lot of times those kind of pretty boys, they don't want the prettiest girl.
- But a lot of times those kind of pretty boys, they don't want the prettiest girl.
- So maybe it's not so great to be the pretty boy.
- And I don't know, say that let's say that I'm supposed to be some pretty boy gateway drug right to the alt right.
- No, I wouldn't want to do it because I'd worry about me going to prison, you know, being the pretty boy.
- You know the rough and tumble like ex ex vet and then like the pretty boy and then Larry and Balky of the perfect strangers.
Examples
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Look at the pretty boy!
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You're a pretty boy, aren't you?
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So pretty boy, buy me flowers.
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Remember this moment, pretty boy.
Fiction book (1997) -
She loves that pretty boy, Prince Charming.
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Son, you spent the entire summer depressed because your girlfriend ran off with that pretty boy, Trent.
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He's a pretty boy.
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You're a pretty boy, though, and you're smart, and that's more than others have.
Fiction book (1998) -
Good-looking, too handsome for Sawyer's taste—a pretty boy, was the FBI agent's first thought.
Fiction book (1997) -
The handsome young man at the party was definitely a pretty boy with his charming smile and stylish outfit.
Synonyms
1
8.4
A very handsome young man admired for his looks
A young man admired for soft, pretty looks and stylish clothes, often in fashion or pop culture
How Attractive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an attractive young man' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'pretty' (attractive) with 'boy' (young male). This straightforward adjective + noun composition follows standard cross-linguistic patterns and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents, although subtle connotations (e.g., teasing or effeminate nuance) might require extra cultural/contextual exposure.
Etymology
Pretty boy probably comes from using pretty, meaning neat or attractive, plus boy, which creates the picture of a young man who is nicely dressed and has gentle, youthful looks. That's why the term today means 'an attractive young man', often with delicate features.