pleasant Hear it!

pleasant Definition

pleas·ant (plez′ənt)

adjective

  1. agreeable to the mind or senses; pleasing; delightful
  2. having an agreeable manner, appearance, etc.; amiable
  3. Obsolete merry; playful

Etymology: ME plesaunte < MFr plaisant, prp. of plaisir, to please

pleasant Related Forms

pleas′·antly adverb pleas′·ant·ness noun

pleasant Synonyms

pleasant

modif.

  1. Affable

    agreeable, attractive, obliging, charming, pleasing, affable, mild, amusing, kindly, mild-mannered, gracious, genial, amiable, polite, urbane, cheerful, sympathetic, civil, cordial, genteel, engaging, social, bland, diplomatic, civilized, convivial, good-humored, good-natured, soft, fun, delightful, jovial, jolly; see also friendly 1, kind.

    Antonyms sullen*, unsympathetic*, unkind. *

  2. Giving pleasure; said of occasions, experiences, and the like

    gratifying, pleasurable, agreeable, pleasing, enjoyable, cheering, amusing, welcome, appealing, attractive, congenial, harmonious, refreshing, satisfying, nice, all right, satisfactory, adequate, acceptable, comfortable, diverting, droll, delightful, sociable, lively, exciting, convivial, festive, cheerful, entertaining, relaxing, joyous, joyful, merry, happy, favorable, bright, sunny, melodious, mellifluous, dulcet, catchy, sparkling, enlivening, colorful, light, humorous, comforting, to one's taste, to one's liking, not half bad*, not bad*.

    Antonyms unpleasant, disagreeable, sad*.

  3. Encouraging pleasure; said of climate

    temperate, agreeable, balmy; see fair 3, mild 2.

pleasant and pleasing both imply the producing of an agreeable effect upon the mind or senses, but the former word stresses the effect produced a pleasant smile and the latter, the ability to produce such an effect a pleasing personality; agreeable is used of that which is in accord with one's personal likes, mood, etc. an agreeable odor; enjoyable implies the ability to give enjoyment or pleasure an enjoyable picnic; gratifying implies the ability to give satisfaction or pleasure by indulging wishes, hopes, etc. a gratifying response

pleasant Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • very: He started with a very pleasant number played with a slide by his hero Charlie Patton.
  • surprisingly: Temperature wise, heading out to the English countryside could be a surprisingly pleasant experience.
  • exceedingly: Its fruit is sweet throughout and exceedingly pleasant; doves delight in it and live in the tree, feeding on it.
  • extremely: Extremely pleasant purpose built offices make the daily grind a pleasure to endure.
  • quite: At around five o'clock the weather was actually quite pleasant.
  • exceptionally: The lounge was large and light with plenty of comfortable seating and an exceptionally pleasant atmosphere.

Infinitive complement

  • listen: But the weaker signals are not pleasant to listen to.
  • handle: It is low dust, absorbs smells well and is clean and pleasant to handle.
  • walk: Liveable cities and towns need streets that are pleasant to walk or cycle in and where traffic does not dominate.
  • watch: It's too nice; too pristine; too pleasant to watch.
  • hear: It was very pleasant to hear Mr. Thorne descant on this matter.
  • live: They work on a voluntary basis to ensure that the area is safe and tidy and pleasant to live in.

Modifies a noun

  • surprise: The first pleasant surprise emerged on arriving at the venue.
  • surroundings: You will also find pleasant surroundings for your family or business party.
  • walk: We are ideally situated, a short pleasant level walk to the beaches.
  • atmosphere: We hope that you will enjoy the pleasant atmosphere of the hall, adding your own creative energies.
  • evening: A very pleasant evening at the opening of the new Art studios on 27 May 1999.
  • outlook: Located on the edge of the village, The Old School enjoys a pleasant outlook to the front across open farmland.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Hebrews 12, the other great chapter on this subject, says this: No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
  • smell: Brief exposure to citronella immediately distracts dogs but does not cause them distress and even smells pleasant to humans.