# Hot, beautiful, pretty, cute, gorgeous, handsome: what's the difference? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 15, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565 "2010-05-15T18:56:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/1 "2010-05-15T18:56:40Z")
Think of persons, male or female, whose appearance you find pleasing enough so that you would use one of the above adjectives to describe them. Do you draw distinctions in the meanings of those words? If so, what are those distinctions? In your answer, please give any whatever information about yourself–age, gender, rage, location, and so forth–that you feel might cast any light on the way you use the words in question. Unless of course you can’t be arsed. It’s not like I actually have hordes of flying lizards in my basement, ready to be unleashed. To answer my own question: I’m a 40something mostly-straight-but-WOW-is-Taye-Diggs-good-looking black male living in Tennessee. To me, most of the above words have distinct meanings. To wit: _ **Pretty** _ is a comment on a woman’s face. It means that her face, taken all by itself, is aesthetically pleasing, a biological work of art. It does not necessarily mean that I’m sexually attracted to her. I’d never use it as a compliment for a male. _ **Beautiful** _ is a more intense _pretty_, but it doesn’t necessarily imply that I’m sexually attracted to her either. _Handsome_ would be the male equivalent. _ **Hot** _ is a comment on a persons’s body than his or her face. It definitely implies sexual attraction. _ **Sexy** _ is a comment on the person’s personality, or sometimes personality; it means that the way he or she conducts himself or herself makes me think of sex. Obviously it implies attraction, but it doesn’t imply that the person is beautiful, pretty, or even hot. KD Lang is extremely sexy, for instance; so is Mandy Patinkin. But neither is hot, handsome, or beautiful. _ **Gorgeous** _ means that a person is both sexy and beautiful/handsome. _ **Cute** _ means aesthetically pleasant, perhaps even sexy, in a way that is more than the sum of the person’s parts. Alyson Hannigan, playing Willow Rosenberg, is cute rather than beautiful. Having written all that–the praise I’m most likely to give a woman is comely. But I’m weird, as y’all may have noticed. 🙂 Anybody else? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/2 "2010-05-15T19:09:15Z")
There’s a quote that I see is evidently from NewsRadio that sums up some “pretty” words: Beth: Well of course there is a difference. Pretty means pretty. Cute means pretty but short and/or hyperactive - like me! Lisa: Uh huh. What is beautiful? Beth: Beautiful means pretty and tall. Lisa: Gorgeous? Beth: Pretty with great hair. Lisa: Striking? Beth: Pretty with a big nose. Lisa: OK, you’re making this up. Beth: That’s ridiculous, why would I make it up? Lisa: Voluptuous? Beth: Pretty and fat. Lisa: Sexy? Beth: Pretty and easy. Lisa: Exotic? Beth: Ugly. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/3 "2010-05-15T19:24:43Z")
Hot–great body, at minimum an above-average face, and the tendancy to accentuate both of those in their manner of dress and styling Beautiful–striking at the most pure level. No enhancements needed Pretty–agree that this is mainly about an attractive face; it’s a softer word and also suggests some level of gentleness to me Cute–Wholesome and pleasant-looking, typically youthful or playful in some way Sexy–Definitely more about personality than body or face. There is a physicality to it though, in the way the body is carried, how the person moves and smells and sounds. Gorgeous–the whole package physically, with sexiness added in ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/4 "2010-05-15T19:47:59Z")
35 year old male. I’ve had the cute vs. hot argument with a few exes, so understand the importance of this… Pretty: could be a description of a woman overall, not just face. Appealing, but not necessarily in a sexual manner. Might be fun to kiss, might not even cross my mind. Beautiful: pretty to the point where I’m sexually attracted. Can be too haughty or oblivious to be sexy, but still arousing. Fun to kiss, even if they suck at kissing. Sexy: fuckable. Sorry for the bluntness, but sexy does not necessarily mean pretty or anything else… it means “sexable.” Maybe no kissing. Or maybe watching it have sex with someone else. Hot: pretty and sexy combined. Sexable, and kissing is good or \>. Cute: young and attractive, in either the sexy or pretty ways. Kissing is \> to awesome, but fuckability may not match. Gorgeous: sexy/attractive and unapproachable. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/5 "2010-05-15T19:54:23Z")
I agree with all of Skald’s except for cute. Cute implies some sort of smallness. The person is usually short or thin, and has a sense of insecurity in their personality. For some reason, I just want to pick them up and hug them. Merely being more than the sum of your parts is insufficient. Evil Willow is not cute. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/6 "2010-05-15T20:32:15Z")
No difference. They’re all things **Skald** is not. 😃 (Serious answer when I get home from work.) ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/7 "2010-05-15T20:34:57Z")
Not saying that these are what the words actually mean, but this is how I use them. Pretty Cute Beautiful Gorgeous I use those four on a scale. Pretty is at the bottom and gorgeous is at the top. Hot - Not only is the described person attractive, but they’re just oozing sexuality. Sexy - Interchangeable with hot. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_Tightlips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@Joey\_Tightlips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_Tightlips)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/8 "2010-05-17T17:23:55Z")
I’ve never made much distinction between Pretty and Beautiful (and Gorgeous is just the superlative of either), but Cute is something else entirely. My definition of Pretty is a girl who looks good made up, while one who is Cute looks better with the makeup off. (I’ll take a cute girl over a pretty one every time.) ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/9 "2010-05-19T06:25:09Z")
Cute, Sexy, and gorgeous blend attitude and personality together with physical attractiveness, while Hot, pretty and beautiful are purely about looks. A pretty girl, for exampple, can look [cute](http://sexynerd.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/alyson-hannigan-wispy-bangs.jpg), [sexy](http://www.nicewallpapers.info/pics/Celebrities/alyson-hannigan/alyson-hannigan_8.jpg), or [gorgeous](http://www.bellydancematernity.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/alyson_hannigan1.jpg) at will. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/10 "2010-05-19T06:30:13Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > A pretty girl, for exampple, can look [cute](http://sexynerd.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/alyson-hannigan-wispy-bangs.jpg), [sexy](http://www.nicewallpapers.info/pics/Celebrities/alyson-hannigan/alyson-hannigan_8.jpg), or [gorgeous](http://www.bellydancematernity.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/alyson_hannigan1.jpg) at will. I question your choice of “sexy”. That pic looks “sweet” to me. “Sexy” needs to be more [overt](http://heystupid.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/alyson-hannigan.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/11 "2010-05-19T06:36:14Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > Cute, Sexy, and gorgeous blend attitude and personality together with physical attractiveness, while Hot, pretty and beautiful are purely about looks. > > A pretty girl, for exampple, can look [cute](http://sexynerd.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/alyson-hannigan-wispy-bangs.jpg), [sexy](http://www.nicewallpapers.info/pics/Celebrities/alyson-hannigan/alyson-hannigan_8.jpg), or [gorgeous](http://www.bellydancematernity.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/alyson_hannigan1.jpg) at will. Sorry, the perky smile says “cute” in all those photos. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/12 "2010-05-19T07:03:13Z")
Skald’s descriptions match mine in general terms, but differ in some specifics, but I’ll offer my own take anyway. _ **Pretty** _–Purely an aesthetic assessment, inclusive of face and body. If I describe a woman as “pretty”, I mean it in the same sense as if I said a flower were pretty: that in the absence of any other drive or consideration, looking at her pleases me. It doesn’t necessarily mean I’m attracted to her. This is not mutually exclusive with other terms on the list. _ **Beautiful** _–A more rare accolade, and not because it’s strictly more intense than “pretty”. Beauty involves more than physical appearance; it requires a measure of grace and dignity. A woman can be beautiful without being pretty. _ **Hot** _–This one is largely independent of physical appearance, though an actively unpleasant appearance can strongly mitigate it. It’s more a matter of movement and attitude. Being utterly comfortable in her own skin and moving freely is part of it; the rest is beyond my ability to define. The hottest woman I’ve ever known was tall, skinny, freckly, and flat-chested…but even the most devoted breast aficionado sat up and took notice the moment she walked into a room. _ **Sexy** _–A treasure of a chest. Two legs making a perfect ass of themselves. A mouth made for kissing…whatever she wants. Basically, a body with the right bits in the right proportions, and a frankly sensual attitude making them more than the sum of their parts. _ **Gorgeous** _–I don’t really use this term, but Skald’s “both beautiful and sexy” definition seems fair enough. _ **Cute** _–Cute relies heavily on attitude or character again. Someone who is cute has an aesthetically pleasing appearance combined with an air of innocence or wholesomeness. (Note that this does not mean it’s exclusive with sexiness or hotness. I see nothing guilty or unwholesome about sex. In fact, “cute” goes _very_ well with “hot”. See also: Kaylee.) A cute person should have bright eyes that crinkle at the corners when they smile, and you should find yourself hoping that they do so often. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-beautiful-pretty-cute-gorgeous-handsome-whats-the-difference/539565/13 "2010-05-19T12:09:49Z")
Cute: Appealing, but not necessarily attractive Pretty: Appealing and attractive Beautiful: Attractive but not necessarily appealing Hot: Sexually attractive, not necessarily any of the above Gorgeous: Beautiful and Hot Handsome: Pretty and Hot Taye Diggs: Off the chart