top » life » aesthetics » beauty » beautiful words

90 Examples of Beautiful Words

John Spacey, August 27, 2021

Beautiful words are words that capture some mysterious, wondrous or charming aspect of life. They can also have a somewhat dark or conflicted meaning. Beautiful words are often somewhat unusual words that haven't been overused to become cliche. In other cases, they are considered important to a culture as they capture something about the human experience. The following are illustrative examples of beautiful words.

Mellifluous - musical; pleasant sound

Unaffected - authentic and not easy to influence

Evanescent - quickly fading

Saudade - longing, melancholy or nostalgia (Portuguese)

Demure - reserved or shy

Melancholy - gentle sadness that feels deep

Meteoric - resembling a meteor in intensity

Diaphanous - light and delicate

Cacophony - a discordant mixture of sounds

Yugen - mysterious wonder (Japanese)

Ethereal - too perfect for this world

Pyrrhic - a false victory that comes at a great cost

Lyrical - an imaginative expression

Halcyon - a period of time that is idyllic and peaceful

Memoria - memory (Latin)

Nefelibata - daydreamer (Portuguese)

Komorebi - sunlight filtering through trees (Japanese)

Sonrisa - smile (Spanish)

Deft - skilled

Sprezzatura - effortless elegance (Italian)

Meliora - better things (Latin)

Atonement -reparation for a wrong

Labyrinthine - irregular, intricate and confusing

Woolgather - engages in daydreaming

Singular - one of a kind

Resonant - deep, clear and prolonged

Ikigai - life purpose (Japanese)

Eloquence - simple sophistication

Mercy - compassion and forgiveness where you have power over

someone

Ineffable - that which can't be expressed with words

Figurati - imagine; don't worry (Italian)

Exquisite - beautiful and delicate

Dauntless - fearless determination

Aquiver - trembling

Sumptuous - luxurious

Nostalgia - a longing for the past

Muse - a person who inspires art

Redemption - the transition from bad to good

Eonia - eternity (Greek)

Humanity - human beings and their works

Caprice - a sudden change in mood

Raconteur - a skillful storyteller

Bliss - perfect happiness

Angst - fear that life is meaningless

Refined - cultured and self-composed

Petrichor - a pleasant smell caused by rain on a dry surface

Elation - great happiness

Astral - resembling the stars

Charisma - compelling charm

Grace - beautiful goodwill

Hiraeth - longing for home (Welsh)

Invicta - undefeated or unconquered (Latin)

Sublime - greatness worthy of awe

Crimson - a deep vivid red

Carpe Diem - seize the day (Latin)

Wanderlust - a desire to travel

Lacuna - unfilled space

Elixir - magical potion

Vellichor - the strange melancholy of used bookstores

Striking - attracting attention

Aloha - love and fellowship (Hawaiian)

Resfeber - mixed feelings of fear and excitement (Swedish)

Natsukashii - nostalgia for the past (Japanese)

Ephemeral - lasting a short time

Beguile - to charm

Plethora - large amount

Surreptitious - secret or stealthy

Catharsis - a sudden release from negativity

Solitude - alone

Ebullience - cheerful and energetic

Dulcet - sweet sound

Axiom - a true statement

Wistfulness - gentle sadness

Adamo - fall in love (Latin)

Sonder - special (German)

Goya - suspension of disbelief (Urdu)

Quintessential - perfect example of something

Mahalo - thank you (Hawaiian)

Sonorous - an impossibly deep sound

Nemesis - bitter rival

Charming - delightful personality

Silhouette - outline of a figure

Aurora - northern or southern lights

Compassion - empathy for others

Chuchoter - whisper (French)

Unearthly - exceptional or mysterious

Pensive - deep reflective thought

Éclatant - sparkling (French)

Toska - melancholic angst (Russian)

Humanitas - civilization; kindness (Latin)

Notes

Many languages have a word for nostalgia that is almost always noted as "impossible to translate." Likewise it is common for words for gentle sadnesses such as melancholy to be thought to be difficult to translate.