picturesque
adjective
Simple meaning
Pretty, like a scene in a painting.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pikcheruhskSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɪktʃɚəsk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Resembling or worthy of a picture or painting; having the qualities of a picture or painting; pleasingly beautiful.
figurativeby extension
Strikingly graphic or vivid; having striking and vivid imagery.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Resembling or worthy of a picture or painting; having the qualities of a picture or painting; pleasingly beautiful.
Used this way, picturesque is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It suits reflective writing more than quick conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Slightly formal
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Beautiful or graceful
- Usage feel
- Reflective and slightly elevated
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Related Learning
Guides that use this word in context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “picturesque” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.