1. a quality that makes something pleasing to the eye or ear; especially: good looks. He has beautiful eyes and a nice smile. 2. a person or thing that is considered very pretty or attractive, especially in a sexual way: She was a beautiful young woman. 3. a place that is pleasing to the eye or senses: The mountains are beautiful, and so is the beach.
4. something that provides excitement or pleasure: The new car is a beauty. The scenery is beautiful, but the ride is a bit bumpy. 5. a kind of person or thing that is very nice or attractive: She’s such a beautiful girl, and she has a wonderful personality.
While some people might describe their own appearance using these words, the vast majority of the time when this word is used it refers to someone else’s physical beauty. This is the case when it is referring to people in general, but also when it is referring to specific physical characteristics of a person, such as eyes or skin.
The earliest treatment of beauty in philosophy, art and religion was concerned with the concept of proportion. Aristotle, Plotinus, and many others believed that things were most beautiful when they were well proportioned. They used this concept as the basis for their ideas about beauty in the arts and for their assessments of the quality of work produced by artists.
Aristotle’s theory of beauty was so influential that it remained the primary focus of this type of philosophy for a long time. However, there has been a recent interest in the idea of beauty in both art and philosophy. Some of this has been centered on feminist-oriented reconstruals or reappropriations of the concept (see Brand 2000 and Irigaray 1993).
In some cases, it is not what is seen that is considered beautiful, but rather what is heard or felt. For example, a film may be appreciated for its music or for the acting. The final scene of Naussica: Valley of the Wind and Castle in the Sky, both films by Hayao Miyazaki, are considered beautiful because they provide a magical moment that is the culmination of all the work that went before it.
The spelling of this word is often spelled beautifull, but this is a common mistake. The word should be spelled beautiful, as in “a beautiful sunset” or “a beautiful girl.” Other similar words are gorgeous (slang), stunning, marvelous, delightful, breathtaking, fantastic, amazing, awesome, terrific, cracking, or top-notch. It is not appropriate to use these words to describe a person’s appearance, though they may be used informally in a romantic context. This article is brought to you by Beautyl.