pleasant

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Giving enjoyment or comfort; nice to experience.

   Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a pleasant day; the day was pleasant.

   Patterns

   • pleasant to do something
   • a pleasant surprise

   We spent a pleasant afternoon in the garden.

   The weather was warm and pleasant.

   It is pleasant to read by the window.

2. 2adjectivecomparable

   Friendly, polite, and easy to get on with.

   Grammar: Describes people and their manner; often followed by to: pleasant to everyone.

   Patterns

   • pleasant to someone
   • pleasant with someone

   The new neighbor is a pleasant man.

   The clerk was pleasant to every customer.

   She has a pleasant smile and a calm voice.

Word forms

Common combinations

a pleasant surprise

His visit was a pleasant surprise.

a pleasant evening

We had a pleasant evening together.

pleasant weather

The pleasant weather lasted all week.

pleasant company

She is pleasant company on a long trip.

pleasant smell

Baking bread has a pleasant smell.

perfectly pleasant

The hotel was perfectly pleasant.

Synonyms and how they differ

nice

Nice is more casual and very general, while pleasant is a little more formal.

enjoyable

Enjoyable stresses that you take pleasure in an activity, whereas pleasant can describe calm, mild things.

agreeable

Agreeable is more formal and old-fashioned, and can suggest easy to get on with.

delightful

Delightful is much stronger and suggests great joy.

Opposites

Word family

pleasantly adverb

in an agreeable way

pleasantness noun

the quality of being pleasant

unpleasant adjective

not enjoyable

please verb

to make someone happy

pleasure noun

a feeling of enjoyment

Commonly confused: pleasant or pleasing? pleasant or peasant?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pleasant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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