pleasant
Americanadjective
-
pleasing, agreeable, or enjoyable; giving pleasure.
pleasant news.
- Synonyms:
- gratifying, welcome
-
(of persons, manners, disposition, etc.) socially acceptable or adept; polite; amiable; agreeable.
- Synonyms:
- friendly, congenial, delightful
-
fair, as weather.
a pleasant summer day.
-
Archaic. lively, sprightly, or merry.
-
Obsolete. jocular or facetious.
adjective
-
giving or affording pleasure; enjoyable
-
having pleasing or agreeable manners, appearance, habits, etc
-
obsolete merry and lively
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of pleasant
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English plesaunt, from Old French plaisant, originally present participle of plaisir “to please”; equivalent to please + -ant
Explanation
Something pleasant is nice or enjoyable. Usually, a picnic in the park is considered a pleasant activity. Pleasant is a word for things that are pleasing: ice cream is considered pleasant by most people. A second meaning refers to a person who is polite or agreeable. People who have good manners, give compliments, smile often are considered more pleasant than someone who screams and curses all the time. This word is often used for weather: clear skies and warm temperatures are signs of pleasant weather. Still, different weather (and other things) will be pleasant to different people.
Vocabulary lists containing pleasant
Be Nice!
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Ahamed has a pleasant style, and he writes short, welcoming chapters.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
The conversation was pleasant enough, but by the end of the evening, he told us we were “his favorite couple” he had ever taken to dinner.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
In earlier work, Choe's lab studied pinene, a pleasant smelling chemical released by forest trees.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2026
Sorting through wonky government websites in a moment of crisis is not a pleasant undertaking, so it’s best to begin exploring options before the end approaches, if you can.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
As pleasant as it was to escape the grating prattle of Lady Constance and the bizarre behavior of Lord Fredrick, it also felt oddly sad to be the one left behind.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
