60 of the Most Beautiful Words in the English Language

It’s time to take your vocabulary to the next level! In this article, you’ll learn 60 beautiful English words to add to your writing and conversations. They’ll help you express yourself more descriptively and precisely, and they’ll help you enjoy the many English books and movies that use these words.

List of 60 beautiful English words

Here’s a list of 60 of the most beautiful words in the English language. It isn’t a scientific list, though. Everybody’s idea of beauty is different. We chose these words based on their pronunciations and meanings. For each word, we’ve included their part of speech, pronunciation, meaning and an example sentence.

1. Amble

Part of speech: Verb

Pronunciation: AM-bul

Meaning: To walk at a slow, leisurely pace

Example sentence: She ambled through the forest, enjoying the sunny day.

2. Aurora

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: uh-ROAR-uh

Meaning: Natural lights that appear in the sky in the most northern and southern parts of the planet

Example sentence: The aurora borealis lit up the night sky with its beautiful curtains of light.

3. Bloom

Part of speech: Noun, verb

Pronunciation: bloom

Meaning: A flower; to flower or to thrive

Example sentence: Colorful blooms fill the garden.

4. Blossom

Part of speech: Noun, verb

Pronunciation: BLOSS-um

Meaning: A flower; to develop or flourish

Example sentence: The cherry tree blossomed in the spring, and people rushed to take photos of its pink flowers.

5. Buttercup

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: BUTT-er-kup

Meaning: A small yellow wildflower

Example sentence: The meadow was full of bright buttercups.

6. Cascade

Part of speech: Noun, verb

Pronunciation: kus-KADE

Meaning: A waterfall; to flow or fall like a waterfall

Example sentence: The water cascaded down the rocky cliff.

7. Cherish

Part of speech: Verb

Pronunciation: CHER-ish

Meaning: To hold dear; to care for deeply

Example sentence: She cherished the memories of her childhood.

8. Chime

Part of speech: Noun, verb

Pronunciation: chime

Meaning: A musical ringing sound; to make a musical ringing sound

Example sentence: The clock chimed at the top of the hour.

9. Coalesce

Part of speech: Verb

Pronunciation: koh-uh-LESS

Meaning: To come together or to unite into one

Example sentence: Although they started as a book club, the students gradually coalesced into a political group.

10. Crepuscular

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: kruh-PUSS-kyuh-ler

Meaning: Relating to or resembling twilight; dim

Example sentence: It was difficult to see in the crepuscular light of dusk.

11. Crest

Part of speech: Noun, verb

Pronunciation: krest

Meaning: The top of a wave or hill; to reach the top of

Example sentence: The hikers crested the mountain just before sunset.

12. Crystalline

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: KRISS-tuh-line

Meaning: Clear and transparent like crystal

Example sentence: You can see the surrounding mountains reflected in the lake's crystalline waters.

13. Dappled

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: DAP-uld

Meaning: Having spots or rounded patches

Example sentence: The trees give plenty of dappled shade for you to relax under.

14. Diaphanous

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: die-AF-uh-nuss

Meaning: Light, delicate and thin enough to be translucent

Example sentence: The bride wore a diaphanous veil on her wedding day.

15. Dulcet

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: DULL-sit

Meaning: Sweet and soothing

Example sentence: The dulcet tones of the harp filled the concert hall.

16. Ebullient

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: ih-BULL-yunt

Meaning: Cheerful and enthusiastic

Example sentence: The ebullient children were excited for the field trip.

17. Effervescent

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: ef-er-VESS-unt

Meaning: Lively, enthusiastic and vivacious

Example sentence: Her effervescent personality made her the life of the party.

18. Elixir

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: ih-LIK-ser

Meaning: A magical or medicinal potion

Example sentence: The people in that village say this herbal elixir can cure anything.

19. Enchant

Part of speech: Verb

Pronunciation: en-CHANT

Meaning: To fill with delight or charm

Example sentence: The magician's tricks enchanted the audience.

20. Ephemeral

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: ih-FEM-er-ul

Meaning: Lasting for a very short time

Example sentence: The mayfly's life is ephemeral – after years of waiting to hatch, it only lives for a few hours.

21. Ethereal

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: ih-THEER-ee-ul

Meaning: Delicate, light and not of this world

Example sentence: The ethereal music floated through the air.

22. Euphoria

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: yoo-FOAR-ee-uh

Meaning: A feeling of intense happiness or joy

Example sentence: The team felt euphoria after winning the championship.

23. Evocative

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation:ih-VOCK-uh-tiv

Meaning: Bringing strong images, memories or feelings to mind

Example sentence: The evocative aroma of freshly baked bread filled the kitchen.

24. Exuberant

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: ig-ZOO-ber-unt

Meaning: Filled with energy, excitement and enthusiasm

Example sentence: The exuberant puppy ran and jumped across the yard.

25. Felicity

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: fuh-LISS-i-tee

Meaning: Intense happiness

Example sentence: The couple's wedding day was full of felicity.

26. Filament

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: FIL-uh-munt

Meaning: A thin wire or thread

Example sentence: Spiders make their webs from delicate filaments of silk.

27. Fragrance

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: FRAY-grunss

Meaning: A pleasant or sweet smell

Example sentence: The fragrance of the blooming roses filled the garden.

28. Gleam

Part of speech: Noun, verb

Pronunciation: gleem

Meaning: A faint or brief light; to shine brightly

Example sentence: A gleam of sunlight reflected off the lake's surface.

29. Gossamer

Part of speech: Noun, adjective

Pronunciation: GOSS-uh-mer

Meaning: A fine, filmy substance; delicate or light

Example sentence: Butterflies have gossamer wings.

30. Halcyon

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: HAL-see-un

Meaning: Calm, peaceful and tranquil

Example sentence: The halcyon days of summer were filled with lazy afternoons by the lake.

31. Iridescent

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: ir-i-DESS-unt

Meaning: Showing colors that change when seen from different angles

Example sentence: The iridescent soap bubbles changed color as the sunlight hit them.

32. Labyrinthine

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: lab-uh-RIN-theen

Meaning: Complicated and twisting like a maze

Example sentence: The royal palace is a labyrinthine complex of corridors, stairs and stately rooms.

33. Languor

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: LANG-ger

Meaning: A lack of energy; a weakness in the body or mind

Example sentence: They couldn't recover from the languor of the sweltering summer heat.

34. Lilt

Part of speech: Noun, verb

Pronunciation: lilt

Meaning: A pleasant, gentle accent or rhythm; to speak, sing or move with a pleasant, gentle rhythm

Example sentence: The Irish lilt in her voice was charming.

35. Limerence

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: LIM-er-unss

Meaning: A state of intense infatuation, romantic feelings and obsession with another person

Example sentence: His limerence for his friend lasted months but led nowhere because she didn't feel the same.

36. Lissome

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: LISS-um

Meaning: Moving with grace and ease

Example sentence: The lissome dancer moved effortlessly across the stage.

37. Lullaby

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: LULL-uh-bye

Meaning: A soothing song to sing children to sleep

Example sentence: The mother sang a gentle lullaby to her baby.

38. Luminous

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: LOO-muh-nuss

Meaning: Bright, shining or glowing

Example sentence: The luminous moon illuminated the night sky.

39. Mellifluous

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: muh-LIF-loo-uss

Meaning: Having a smooth and pleasant sound

Example sentence: She gets a lot of work as a professional singer because of her mellifluous voice.

40. Mesmerize

Part of speech: Verb

Pronunciation: MEZ-muh-rize

Meaning: To hold someone's attention completely; to fascinate

Example sentence: I was mesmerized by the performance.

41. Murmur

Part of speech: Noun, verb

Pronunciation: MUR-mer

Meaning: A low, soft, indistinct sound; to make such a low, soft, indistinct sound

Example sentence: I wish you wouldn't murmur because I can't hear a word you're saying.

42. Nemesis

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: NEM-uh-siss

Meaning: A long-standing rival or enemy

Example sentence: The superhero finally confronted his nemesis in an epic battle.

43. Opulent

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: OP-yuh-lunt

Meaning: Luxurious and extravagant

Example sentence: The opulent mansion costs millions of dollars.

44. Plethora

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: PLETH-er-uh

Meaning: An overabundance or excess

Example sentence: There's a plethora of blog posts about how to improve your English skills.

45. Quixotic

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: kwik-SOT-ik

Meaning: Foolishly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical

Example sentence: His ideas about the future are quixotic.

46. Radiant

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: RAID-ee-unt

Meaning: Emitting light; glowing; filled with joy or happiness

Example sentence: Her radiant smile lit up the room.

47. Redolent

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: RED-ul-unt

Meaning: Having a noticeable smell

Example sentence: The kitchen was redolent with the aroma of freshly baked cookies.

48. Resplendent

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: rih-SPLEN-dunt

Meaning: Brilliant, shining or splendid

Example sentence: Birds-of-paradise have resplendent feathers.

49. Rhapsody

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: RAP-suh-dee

Meaning: An intensely emotional or exuberant expression of feeling

Example sentence: The composer's latest work is a rhapsody of love and loss.

50. Ripple

Part of speech: Noun, verb

Pronunciation: RIP-ul

Meaning: A small wave or series of waves; to flow with a series of small waves

Example sentence: The pebble created ripples in the pond.

51. Scintilla

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: sin-TILL-uh

Meaning: A tiny trace or spark of something

Example sentence: There wasn't a scintilla of evidence to support his claim.

52. Serendipity

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: ser-un-DIP-i-tee

Meaning: The occurrence of events by chance in a beneficial way

Example sentence: They met each other purely by serendipity.

53. Serene

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: suh-REEN

Meaning: Calm, peaceful and untroubled

Example sentence: Sitting by the calm lake was serene.

54. Sonorous

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: suh-NOAR-uss

Meaning: Having a full, deep and rich sound

Example sentence: The singer had a deep, sonorous voice.

55. Sough

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: sow

Meaning: The gentle, rustling sound made by the wind or the ocean as it moves

Example sentence: Listening to the sough of the wind through the pine trees made him feel sleepy.

56. Sumptuous

Part of speech: Adjective

Pronunciation: SUMP-choo-uss

Meaning: Luxurious, rich and elaborate

Example sentence: The sumptuous feast was fit for a king.

57. Susurrus

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: soo-SUR-uss

Meaning: A soft whispering or rustling sound

Example sentence: The susurrus of the leaves in the breeze was calming.

58. Swagger

Part of speech: Verb, noun

Pronunciation: SWAG-er

Meaning: To walk or behave with an air of confidence or arrogance; a walk or demeanor that has an air of confidence or arrogance

Example sentence: He's so arrogant. Did you see how he swaggered into the room?

59. Talisman

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: TAL-iss-mun

Meaning: An object believed to possess magical or protective powers

Example sentence: She wore her grandmother's locket as a talisman for good luck.

60. Vestige

Part of speech: Noun

Pronunciation: VESS-tij

Meaning: A trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists

Example sentence: The ruins were the last vestiges of the ancient civilization.

Take your English to the next level with these 60 beautiful words

Knowing these words will be especially useful when reading in English – they are often used in poetry and literature. But you can also add these words in your conversations and writing. Just remember that these aren’t words you should use all the time. Save them for when you are describing something beautiful and interesting, like a sunset or a field of flowers.

One of the best ways you can improve your English is by increasing your vocabulary. So learn these beautiful English words, and then keep on learning! With a little practice each day, you’ll continue to improve your English communication skills.