pretty2 ●●● S2 W3 adjectiveadj (comparativecomp prettier, superlativesupl prettiest) 1 BEAUTIFUL/GOOD-LOOKINGa woman or child who is pretty has a nice attractive face 漂亮的,好看的,标致的 a pretty little girl 漂亮的小姑娘
Maria looks much prettier with her hair cut short. 玛丽亚把头发剪短好看多了。
► see thesaurus at beautiful 2 NICEsomething that is pretty is pleasant to look at or listen to but is not impressive 好看的,好听的,悦目的,悦耳的〔但未达到令人心动的程度〕 The tune is pretty. 曲调很好听。
What a pretty little garden! 多漂亮的小花园!
3 not a pretty sight UNPLEASANTvery unpleasant to look at – sometimes used humorously 不堪入目〔有时为幽默用法〕 After a night’s drinking, Al was not a pretty sight. 喝了一晚上的酒,阿尔已经不成人样了。
not a pretty sight• Are you sure you want to come in? It's not a pretty sight.• Afterwards I visited the boys and they were not a pretty sight.• All directors, including Spielberg, grow up, and in this film the result is not a pretty sight.• He is not a pretty sight.• What these portraits give you is a glimpse of Lowry's psychic state, and it's not a pretty sight.• It's not a pretty sight to finish in a classic fire and fall position.• It is not a pretty sight to see people so hurt. 4 not just a pretty face spokenINTELLIGENT used humorously to say that someone is intelligent, when people think this is surprising 不仅相貌好,不只脸蛋漂亮〔幽默用法,用于表示某人聪明〕 I’m not just a pretty face, you know! 你要知道,我可不光是脸蛋漂亮!
5 come to a pretty pass old-fashionedSERIOUS SITUATION used to say that a very bad situation has developed 情况变得很糟糕 Things have come to a pretty pass, if you can’t say what you think without causing a fight. 如果你有话直说就一定会引起争吵,那就不妙了。
6. cost a pretty penny old-fashionedCOST to cost a lot of money 花费很多钱 7. pretty as a picture BEAUTIFUL/GOOD-LOOKING old-fashioned very pretty 非常漂亮的 —prettily adverbadv Charlotte sang very prettily. 夏洛特唱得非常好听。
—prettiness noun [uncountableU]