different between beautiful vs fetching

English

Etymology

From Middle English bewteful, beautefull (“attractive to the eye, beautiful”), equivalent to beauty +? -ful. Largely displaced Old English fæ?er (whence fair).

Pronunciation

• enPR: byo?o?t?-f?l, IPA^(key): /?bju?t?f?l/
• Hyphenation: beau?ti?ful

Adjective

beautiful (comparative more beautiful, superlative most beautiful)

1. Attractive and possessing beauty.

2. Good, admirable.

3. (of the weather) Pleasant; clear.

4. Well executed.

Usage notes

• When used to refer to human appearance, the word is more commonly used for women, with handsome being more common for men, though neither is incorrect. For a man, beautiful could connote a more delicate or androgynous appearance.
• The comparatives beautifuler and beautifuller, and the superlatives beautifulest and beautifullest have also occasionally been used, but are nonstandard.

Synonyms

• (possessing charm and attractive): beauteous, attractive, cute, fair, good-looking, gorgeous, sheen, handsome, hot (slang), lovely, nice-looking, pretty, shapely, fit (slang)
• (of the weather): clear, fine, nice, pleasant, sunny
• (well executed): excellent, exceptional, good, great, marvellous/marvelous, perfect, stylish, wonderful
• (ironic: how unfortunate): great, marvellous/marvelous, nice, very nice, wonderful (any of these can be prefixed with an intensifier such as bloody, damned or just)
• See also Thesaurus:beautiful

Antonyms

• (possessing charm and attractive): grotesque, hideous, homely, plain, misshapen, repulsive, ugly; unbeautiful
• (of the weather): bad, cloudy, dull, miserable, overcast, rainy, wet
• (well executed): average, bad, mediocre, poor, shoddy, substandard, terrible, weak

Derived terms

Related terms

• beauty
  • See also Thesaurus:beautiful woman

Translations

Noun

beautiful (plural beautifuls)

1. Someone who is beautiful. Can be used as a term of address.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f?t???/
• Rhymes: -?t???
• Hyphenation: fetch?ing

Etymology 1

From fetch +? -ing.

Adjective

fetching (comparative more fetching, superlative most fetching)

1. Attractive; pleasant to regard.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:attractive

Translations

Verb

fetching

1. present participle of fetch

Etymology 2

From Middle English fetchynge, fecchynge, faching, fettynge, equivalent to fetch +? -ing.

Noun

fetching (plural fetchings)

1. The act by which something is fetched.
   • 1834, Evidence on drunkenness: presented to the House of Commons

     These lumpers were also in the habit of inducing their men during the week to send to their pay-house for fetchings of drink, besides the money they were compelled to spend on Saturday night.