The English language is a gift that just keeps on giving. It’s estimated that a new English word is created every 98 minutes. That’s approximately 14.7 new words per day! No wonder why learning a new language is such a long process. However, there’s no need to know every single word to master the language.
However, discovering all the new, forgotten, or often overlooked beautiful words in the English language is very much a gratifying experience. Whether you are an aspiring writer, looking to impress your English teacher with your essay, or simply looking for aesthetic words to add to your vocabulary, English has plenty of often underutilized and rare words with beautiful meanings.
While some of the unique words require a rather specific context, such as the word chatoyant, which means the light reflecting in a gemstone, others are very much applicable in everyday scenarios. It’s because these pretty words are often synonymous with other, more commonly used terms. Why call it visually pleasing when you can call it picturesque? Why hide your true feelings when you can dissemble them? P.S. don’t.
Although many beautiful words with deep meanings are rather specific, it doesn’t hurt to know that the English language has many interesting words to offer to add to one’s literary glossary. Below you will find some beautiful English words that are euphonious to one’s ears. After you are done reading through the list, let us know if there’s a beautiful world that you will be adding to your dictionary!
#1
Euphoria
Meaning: an intense feeling of happiness or elation.
#2
Wanderlust
Meaning: a strong desire to travel.
#3
Hitoritabi
Meaning: traveling alone, solitary journey.
#4
Infatuation
Meaning: to have a really strong desire to be near or know more about someone.
#5
Eudaemonia
Meaning: means the state of being lucky or happy.
#6
Eternity
Meaning: forever; always; a limitless time.
#7
Lissome
Meaning: slim, graceful, flexible, supple.
#8
Sorcery
Meaning: the use of magic, especially black magic.
#9
Jubilation
Meaning: feelings of joy.
#10
Scenic
Meaning: lovely appearance.
#11
Angst
Meaning: having a sense of anxiety about how the day will go.
#12
Felicity
Meaning: this one’s just another word for a state of happiness.
#13
Love
Meaning: an intense feeling of deep affection.
#14
Plethora
Meaning: this word is most commonly associated with having an abundance of something.
#15
Elegance
Meaning: the quality of being graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.
#16
Paradox
Meaning: a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.
#17
Ethereal
Meaning: extremely delicate and light in a way that seems not to be of this world.
#18
Surreptitious
Meaning: this word means to act clandestinely or to do or acquire something by stealth.
#19
Lyrical
Meaning: beautifully said.
#20
Rainbow
Meaning: an arch of colors in the sky.
#21
Supine
Meaning: lying face upwards.
#22
Luminescence
Meaning: light products by chemical, electrical, or physiological means.
#23
Aesthetic
Meaning: pleasing appearance.
#24
Thunderous
Meaning: a very loud sound.
#25
Panegyric
Meaning: speech or document written to praise a person.
#26
Cynosure
Meaning: a person or thing that is the centre of attention or admiration.
#27
Incandescent
Meaning: emitting light as a result of being heated.
#28
Raconteur
Meaning: a person that is good at telling stories.
#29
Bungalow
Meaning: a cozy word for a specific type of house: usually one that’s either a single story or two stories with a sloping roof.
#30
Scintilla
Meaning: a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling.
#31
Aurora
Meaning: describe the dawn, as well as the stunning luminous phenomenon that takes place in the upper atmosphere of a planet’s magnetic polar regions.
#32
Inure
Meaning: means to accept or grow accustomed to something undesirable.
#33
Serendipity
Meaning: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
#34
Epiphany
Meaning: life-changing realisation.
#35
Peace
Meaning: this word can refer to a state of mind, freedom from civil disturbances, or a time without war.
#36
Dulcet
Meaning: this word describes anything that is generally pleasing.
#37
Ebullience
Meaning: the quality of being cheerful and full of energy; exuberance.
#38
Lagoon
Meaning: a body of water.
#39
Melancholy
Meaning: a feeling a pensive sadness.
#40
Oblivion
Meaning: a state of unawareness of what’s going on around you
#41
Syzygy
Meaning: an alignment of 3 celestial bodies.
#42
Retrouvailles
Meaning: the happiness of meeting again after a long time.
#43
Luftmensch
Meaning: an impractical dreamer, literally an air person, someone with her head in the clouds.
#44
Diaphanous
Meaning: delicate, translucent, very lightweight.
#45
Rejuvenated
Meaning: looking or feeling refreshed.
#46
Vigorous
Meaning: appearing healthful and strong.
#47
Crescendo
Meaning: the peak in volume of sound that builds up.
#48
Euphonious
Meaning: sounds that are pleasing to hear.
#49
Resounding
Meaning: a sound that repeats.
#50
Tintinnabulation
Meaning: the ringing of bells, sounding of bells.
#51
Ailurophile
Meaning: a person who loves cats.
#52
Ulotrichous
Meaning: curly hair with a coarse or woolly texture.
#53
Erstwhile
Meaning: former, in the past.
#54
Leisure
Meaning: time free from obligations or duty.
#55
Ineffable
Meaning: difficult to accurately describe.
#56
Incendiary
Meaning: extremely hot or inflammatory, anything that causes a fire is incendiary.
#57
Petrichor
Meaning: the word that describes the smell of earth after the rain.
#58
Sumptuous
Meaning: extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent.
#59
Aesthete
Meaning: one having or affecting sensitivity to the beautiful, especially in art.
#60
Miraculous
Meaning: that which seemed impossible or at least incredibly unlikely without the influence of some supernatural force.
#61
Gossamer
Meaning: a fine, filmy cobweb seen on grass or bushes or floating in the air in calm weather, especially in autumn.
#62
Mellifluous
Meaning: this lyrical word refers to something that is sweet and enjoyable, especially when it comes to sound.
#63
Cherish
Meaning: means to hold dear or cultivate with care and affection.
#64
Elixir
Meaning: he word is used to identify a substance that’s capable of changing base metals into gold.
#65
Quintessential
Meaning: representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.
#66
Lullaby
Meaning: this word is used to describe a soothing melody to get your child to sleep.
#67
Pristine
Meaning: fresh and clean or as if new.
#68
Sanguine
Meaning: it’s typically used as a synonym for optimism, but it can also describe a blood-red hue or something relating to blood.
#69
Tryst
Meaning: a discreet meeting between two lovers.
#70
Idyllic
Meaning: picturesque, beautiful, almost fairytale-like.
#71
Onomatopoeia
Meaning: something that uses the sounds it makes to form its name.
#72
Ripple
Meaning: a small movement or wave.
#73
Sibilant
Meaning: making a hissing sound.
#74
Wherewithal
Meaning: strength and tenacity.
#75
Zenith
Meaning: the highest, most successful point of a situation.
#76
Apricity
Meaning: the warmth of the sun in winter.
#77
Aquiver
Meaning: quivering; trembling.
#78
Kerfuffle
Meaning: a commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting views.
#79
Hiraeth
Meaning: a homesickness for a home you can’t return to, or that never was.
#80
Bombinate
Meaning: to make a humming or buzzing noise.
#81
Illicit
Meaning: not legally permitted.
#82
Incandescence
Meaning: light produced by high temperatures.
#83
Vellichor
Meaning: the strange wistfulness of used bookshops.
#84
Sonder
Meaning: the realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.
#85
Evanescent
Meaning: fleeting, fading, or disappearing quickly.
#86
Hullabaloo
Meaning: loud arguing or shouting.
#87
Mondegreen
Meaning: incorrectly hearing or interpreting a song’s lyrics.
#88
Murmurous
Meaning: emitting low noises similar to murmurs.
#89
Nimble
Meaning: quick, easy movements, navigating difficult motions with ease.
#90
Abomination
Meaning: a thing that causes disgust or loathing.
#91
Beleaguer
Meaning: to threaten or cause difficulties for.
#92
Defervescence
Meaning: returning to normal body temperature after having a fever.
#93
Efflorescence
Meaning: what occurs after a time of reflection, study, or development; flowering, blossoming.
#94
Riparian
Meaning: adjacent to a stream or river.
#95
Serendipity
Meaning: a positive occurrence that takes place by chance.
#96
Bucolic
Meaning: pleasant aspects of a rural lifestyle.
#97
Emollient
Meaning: soothing to the skin.
#98
Forbearance
Meaning: patient self-control; restraint and tolerance.
#99
Lagniappe
Meaning: something extra.
#100
Ephemeral
Meaning: things that don’t last forever.
#101
Nadir
Meaning: it is an astronomical term which means the lowest point, as in the “nadir of her popularity.” Its opposite term, zenith, has a similar appeal.
#102
Lassitude
Meaning: describes your tiredness—whether it’s in your body, your mind, or both.
#103
Demure
Meaning: this word is used to describe any modest and reserved behavior.
#104
Solitude
Meaning: the act of being alone and away from society.
#105
Nemesis
Meaning: it is associated with a rival or arch-enemy and can be used to describe inflicting an act of vengeance.
#106
Tranquility
Meaning: another word for being free from agitation of mind or spirit.
#107
Eloquence
Meaning: a quality found in the most skillful politicians, this word refers to persuasive expressiveness.
#108
Sequoia
Meaning: these larger than life trees can be found throughout California, particularly in their namesake national park in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains.
#109
Opulence
Meaning: great wealth or luxuriousness.
#110
Panacea
Meaning: the word is used to refer to something that could fix everything.
#111
Bodacious
Meaning: this word is often used to describe a body’s curves, bodacious can also be used to describe something that is remarkable or admirable.
#112
Axiom
Meaning: an axiom is a statement that is widely accepted as true.
#113
Silhouette
Meaning: the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.
#114
Ingenue
Meaning: naive and innocent female characters such as Sandy at the start of Grease and Ophelia from Hamlet are examples of ingenues.
#115
Chatoyant
Meaning: light reflecting in a gemstone
#116
Denouement
Meaning: the resolution of a narrative.
#117
Nefarious
Meaning: wicked, evil.
#118
Picturesque
Meaning: visually pleasing, beautifully looking, for example, a landscape.
#119
Rakuyou
Meaning: golden fallen or shredded leaves.
#120
Somnambulist
Meaning: a person who sleepwalks.
#121
Dappled
Meaning: marked with spots or rounded patches.
#122
Defenestration
Meaning: the act of throwing someone out of a window.
#123
Exhilaration
Meaning: the feeling of extreme happiness.
#124
Balletic
Meaning: graceful motions.
#125
Gesticulate
Meaning: expressing meaning with gestures instead of words.
#126
Lamprophony
Meaning: speaking loudly and enunciating carefully.
#127
Saunter
Meaning: to walk in an unhurried manner.
#128
Vestigial
Meaning: remnant of something or smaller version of something that was once full size.
#129
Harbinger
Meaning: a signal for the approach of something else.
#130
Imbue
Meaning: to permeate, be dispersed throughout something.
#131
Languor
Meaning: tiredness or inactivity, especially when pleasurable.
#132
Lithe
Meaning: one syllable and full of grace, the word lithe is used to characterize flexibility and a slim figure.
#133
Renaissance
Meaning: he revival of European art and literature under the influence of classical models in the 14th–16th centuries.
#134
Effervescent
Meaning: bubbles in a liquid.
#135
Extravagance
Meaning: excessive elaboration or lack of restraint in spending money.
#136
Sonorous
Meaning: a deep and full sound.
#137
Limerence
Meaning: the state of being infatuated with another person.
#138
Phosphenes
Meaning: the light and colors produced by rubbing your eyes.
#139
Cromulent
Meaning: appearing legitimate but actually being spurious.
#140
Dissemble
Meaning: to hide one’s true feelings.
#141
Halcyon
Meaning: peaceful, calm, idyllic.
#142
Photogenic
Meaning: one whose beauty can be captured in a photo or video.
#143
Sprightly
Meaning: energetic and upbeat.
#144
Deft
Meaning: skilled movements.
#145
Fugacious
Meaning: fleeting, disappearing after a short time.
#146
Percussive
Meaning: resembling the sound of a drum being beaten.
#147
Wafture
Meaning: the act of waving or a wavelike motion.
#148
Incipient
Meaning: something that is in its early stages.
#149
Labyrinth
Meaning: any maze or place with “intricate passageways” can be described by this word.
#150
Propinquity
Meaning: similar to the term proximity, this word is another way to talk about someone who lives near you.
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