List of 150+ Beautiful Words in English

Here is where this task gets tricky. What words do you think are beautiful? Maybe the sound of a certain word is especially attractive to you, or maybe a certain word makes you think of a beautiful place or time in your life. No one can tell you what words you should think are beautiful, because the matter is one of personal opinion.

Some of the most beautiful words refer to feelings or visual appeal.

• aesthetic - pleasing appearance
• ambivalence - conflicting feelings or emotions
• demure - modest, not calling attention to oneself
• diaphanous - delicate, translucent, very lightweight
• dissemble - to hide one’s true feelings
• ebullience - full of energy, highly enthusiastic
• effervescent - vivacious, bubbly, enthusiastic
• ethereal - heavenly, otherworldly
• evanescent - fleeting, fading or disappearing quickly
• evocative - bringing to mind strong emotions
• exhilaration - feeling of extreme happiness
• felicity - feeling of happiness
• glamorous - appealing or attractive
• gossamer - sheer, filmy, delicate in appearance
• halcyon - peaceful, calm, idyllic
• jubilation - feelings of joy
• languor - feeling of sluggishness or listlessness
• lassitude - weariness, exhaustion
• love - intense affection
• lyrical - beautiful expression of emotions
• photogenic - one whose beauty can be captured in photo or video
• rejuvenated - looking or feeling refreshed
• scenic - lovely appearance
• sprightly - energetic and upbeat
• vigorous - appearing healthful and strong

There are quite a few beautiful words to describe how a person or object sounds or moves.

• balletic - graceful motions
• crescendo - the peak in volume of sound that builds up
• deft - skilled movements
• dulcet - sounds that are soothing, something that is sweet sounding
• euphonious - sounds that are pleasing to hear
• fugacious - fleeting, disappearing after a short time
• gesticulate - expressing meaning with gestures instead of words
• hullabaloo - loud arguing or shouting
• lamprophony - speaking loudly and enunciating carefully
• lilt - rhythmic cadence
• lissome - slim, graceful, flexible, supple
• lithe - thin, supple, limber, graceful
• mellifluous - or otherwise pleasant sounding
• mondegreen - incorrectly hearing or interpreting a song’s lyrics
• murmurous - emitting low noises similar to murmurs
• nimble - quick, easy movements, navigating difficult motions with ease
• onomatopoeia - using the sound something makes to form its name
• percussive - resembling the sound of a drum being beaten
• resounding - sound that repeats
• ripple - a small movement or wave; undulating motion
• saunter - to walk in an unhurried manner
• susurrous - soft sounds, like humming or soft buzzing
• thunderous - a very loud sound
• tintinnabulation - ringing of bells, sounding of bells
• wafture - hand movement, hand signals

Some words that sound beautiful when spoken or look lovely when written actually have dark or negative denotative or connotative meanings.

• abomination - something that is depraved
• beleaguer - to threaten or cause difficulties for
• brood - deep thoughts about something negative
• desuetude - no longer being used
• desultory - occurring without a plan or structured order
• elision - leaving something out
• furtive - sneaky, trying to avoid getting caught
• fuscous - being of a somber or dark color
• gambol - playful frolicking
• imbroglio - a complex, messed up situation
• indoctrinate - to persuade people to believe without questioning or critical thinking
• insinuate - to hint at something bad without directly saying it
• insouciance - being indifferent or unconcerned
• inured - accustomed to negative circumstances
• labyrinthine - twisting, confusing, complex
• malefactor - one who commits evil acts
• nemesis - a rival; an archenemy
• pugnacious - quarrelsome, quick to start an argument
• pyrrhic - victory that comes with too great of a cost
• sorcery - using black magic
• subterfuge - intentional deceit
• surreptitious - sneaky
• trickery - being deceptive on purpose
• untoward - offensive, unwelcome inappropriate
• woebegone - sad, wretched

Some terms with the most beautiful meanings are rarely used unusual words.

• ailurophile - person who loves cats
• chatoyant - light reflecting through a cut gemstone
• cynosure - one who is the focus of admiration; the center of attention
• defervescence - returning to normal body temperature after having a fever
• denouement - end of a story, during which things are wrapped up/revealed
• efflorescence - what occurs after a time of reflection, study or development; flowering, blossoming
• embrocation - soothing potion rubbed on the body
• ephemeral - short-lived, lasting only for a short period of time
• moiety - a part or portion of something
• offing - the part of the sea that cannot be viewed from land; deep sea beyond the horizon
• palimpsest - something that has been altered, with traces of the original remaining
• panegyric - speech or document written to praise a person
• panoply - an impressive display or collection
• penumbra - an area of partial shadow in between fully shadowed areas
• peripatetic - frequently traveling or relocating from one place to another
• petrichor - pleasant smell after the first rain following a dry spell
• propinquity - being near or close to something
• quintessential - perfect or ideal illustration or example
• redolent - reminder of something else
• riparian - adjacent to a stream or river
• sempiternal - enduring, lasting forever
• serendipity - a positive occurrence that takes place by chance
• ulotrichous - curly hair with a course or woolly texture
• vestigial - remnant of something or smaller version of something that was once full size
• wherewithal - strength, tenacity

Not all pretty words fall cleanly into a specific definitional category.

• bucolic - pleasant aspects of a rural lifestyle
• bungalow - single story home with a large porch
• conflate - combining or fusing things together
• dalliance - a casual involvement or romance
• elixir - medicinal potion one would ingest
• eloquence - expressing oneself effectively with words
• emollient - soothing to the skin
• epiphany - sudden insight or understanding
• erstwhile - former, in the past
• forbearance - exercising restraint, putting off something
• harbinger - a signal for the approach of something else
• imbue - to permeate, be dispersed throughout something
• incipient - something that is in its early stages
• ineffable - cannot be described in words
• ingenue - woman who seems innocent or naïve
• lagniappe - something extra
• lagoon - a shallow body of water that is near, but separated from, a larger body of water
• leisure - time free from obligations or duty
• opulent - extravagant, lavish, abundant
• panacea - a remedy for all things
• penultimate - next to last
• plethora - an enormous quantity
• scintilla - a tiny amount
• summery - warm conditions, as one would expect during the season of summer
• sumptuous - magnificent, extravagant, splendid
• talisman - item believed to bring about good luck

Of course, rather than looking for words that are beautiful in and of themselves, you may just be looking for other words for beauty. There are many synonyms for beautiful that can help you express that you find someone or something to be beautiful.

• alluring
• attractive
• beauteous
• becoming
• bewitching
• comely
• dazzling
• enticing
• exquisite
• fetching
• fine
• good-looking
• gorgeous
• graceful
• handsome
• knockout
• lovely
• magnificent
• marvelous
• radiant
• ravishing
• resplendent
• statuesque
• stunning
• sublime

Beauty exists in every language. Discover a few of the most lovely words in a selection of languages.

• Explore many uniquely beautiful French words, such as chaussures (shoes).

• Review the most beautiful Latin words, such as invicta (undefeated).

• Examine some particularly lovely Filipino words, such as pagwawagi (mastery).

• Consider a selection of powerfully beautiful Japanese words, such as kyodaina (enormous).

Using some of these beautiful words in your writing can help engage readers in your work by making your writing more vivid and interesting. However, take care not to overdose on descriptive words. Terms like these can enhance your writing, but adding too many descriptors can detract from the meaning. Always stay focused on whether or not your work effectively communicates what you want to say.