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.