pretty
/prĭt′ē/
adjective
  1. Pleasing or attractive in a graceful or delicate way. synonym: beautiful.
  2. Clever; adroit.
    a pretty maneuver.
  3. Very bad; terrible.
    in a pretty predicament; a situation that has reached a pretty pass.
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. More at Wordnik

As FumbleFingers says, this is a pretty old use, going back to Early Modern English:

Pretty (pri•ti) adv. Forms: see prec. [The adj. in adverbial use.]
 1. To a considerable extent, considerably; in a fair or moderate degree, fairly, moderately, tolerably; [...]
1598 FLORIO Dict. Ep. Ded. 3 Boccace is prettie hard, yet understood: Petrarche harder but explained. —OED 1

(I offer this OED 1 citation rather than the earlier one reproduced by FumbleFingers because I am not convinced that the use in the earlier citation is adverbial.)

Pretty has a complicated history, as you may see from the OED 1 entry which immediately precedes the link above: from cunning, artful to clever, skilful to ‘a general epithet of admiration or appreciation... fine, pleasing, proper’, and so forth, leading to the main modern sense ‘having beauty without majesty or stateliness’; but the origin of this adverbial use clearly lies in OED 1 sense 5 for the adjective:

 5. Considerable in number, quantity, or extent, as in a pretty deal, while, way, etc.; also a pretty many = a good many; ...

OED 1 gives citations for this use dating from c. 1485 down to 1861, but marks it as ‘Now arch. or dial.’

I am surprised you did not find this in any dictionary; I found it in the first three online dictionaries I checked, Collins, Oxford, and Merriam-Webster. All three post definitions for the adverb after those for the adjective.

Answer from StoneyB on hiatus on Stack Exchange
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/grammar › the use of “pretty”
r/grammar on Reddit: The use of “pretty”
December 17, 2021 -

Someone said “I pretty liked it.” How do I explain why that’s wrong? You can say I really liked but not pretty liked or very liked. How do I do explain this to a student?

Top answer
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It seems like they're trying to use the adverb definition of pretty here. But in this case, pretty cannot be used to directly describe a verb. It just doesn't work like that. "I liked it pretty much." Or "I liked it pretty well." Would be correct.
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I'm seeing online that "pretty" can be used as an adverb, but in all the examples I see, it's still an adjective. "He ran pretty fast," for example--"pretty" is an adjective describing "fast," not an adverb describing "ran." He didn't run "pretty." However, "pretty fast" is all together an adverbial phrase, but "pretty" functions as an adjective within that phrase. "Really," though, can definitely be an adverb, although this usage is a little slangy. One way to explain it is that an adverb frequently can answer the question How. How did he like the movie? "Really." Meaning "in reality." Again, slangy--substitute "totally" if you'd like--but it passes the test of being an adverb. "How did he like the movie?"/"Pretty" does not make sense as an exchange. According to Merriam-Webster, "prettily" is an acceptable adverbial form of the word, though that sounds a little awkward to me personally.
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Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › pretty
PRETTY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
1 week ago - The meaning of PRETTY is artful, clever. How to use pretty in a sentence. Using Pretty as an Adverb: Usage Guide Synonym Discussion of Pretty.
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › grammar › british-grammar › pretty
Pretty - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary
1 week ago - We can use pretty as an adverb, before an adjective or another adverb, meaning ‘quite, but not extremely’. It is informal:
Discussions
etymology - What is the origin of "pretty" as slang for "somewhat"? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Pretty has a complicated history, as you may see from the OED 1 entry which immediately precedes the link above: from cunning, artful to clever, skilful to ‘a general epithet of admiration or appreciation... fine, pleasing, proper’, and so forth, leading to the main modern sense ‘having beauty without majesty or stateliness’; but the origin of this adverbial use clearly lies in OED 1 sense 5 for the adjective... More on english.stackexchange.com
🌐 english.stackexchange.com
June 30, 2014
Fill in the blank with the correct option. The adverb form of the adjective pretty is ________.a. prettyfulb. prettinessc. prettilyd. pretty
Hint: With the simple addition of the appropriate suffix, the adjective ‘pretty’ can be converted into an adverb. Complete step-by-step answer: Adverbs are words that describe a verb or an adjective. Most adverbs are formed by adding the suffix ‘-ly’ to a base adjective. More on vedantu.com
🌐 vedantu.com
1
0
November 3, 2025
"Choose which part of speech the underlined word belongs"
In English, the main parts of speech are noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection and determiner etc. Let's understand the definitions of the parts of speech given in the options: Here, 'pretty' is an adverb. More on testbook.com
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1
1707
July 24, 2020
Fill in the blank with a correct adjective or an adverb:The bride was very _____ dressed.A. PrettyB. PrettilyC. PrettifulD. Prettiness
Adverb is a word or expression that modifies a verb, adjective, clause, preposition or sentence. For example: gently, quiet, the, there and etc. Complete step by step answer: In this question we need a word to describe the way the bride was dressed. As ‘dressed’ is a verb and the word that describes the verb is called an adverb. Hence, we need an adverb to fill in the sentence. Option A) Pretty ... More on vedantu.com
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1
0
January 17, 2025
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Quora
quora.com › Is-pretty-a-verb-or-an-adjective
Is 'pretty' a verb or an adjective? - Quora
On the contrary, the word “pretty” functions not only as an adjective, but also as an adverb (adverb of degree). As it is, whereas “pretty,” as an adjective, modifies a noun, “pretty,” as an adverb, modifies an adjective.
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Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › pretty
PRETTY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
The qualifying adverb pretty, meaning “fairly or moderately” has been in general use since the late 16th century. Although most common in informal speech and writing, it is far from restricted to them, and often is less stilted than alternatives such as relatively, moderately, and quite.
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Speak Confident English
speakconfidentenglish.com › home › #211: pretty much, pretty sure meaning — use pretty as an adverb
Pretty Much, Pretty Sure Meaning — Use Pretty as an Adverb
July 14, 2021 - Native speakers use pretty to soften an adverb or adjective. We use it to replace words like “fairly”, “slightly”, and “quite”. I’m pretty certain that Tony will be here on time.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How to Use Pretty Much, Pretty Sure [Pretty as an Adverb in English] - YouTube
10:54
Ready to unlock your English fluency? I'm reopening my Fluency School program soon! Get the details 👉 https://www.speakconfidentenglish.com/fluencyschool/ ?...
Published   July 14, 2021
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Stack Exchange
english.stackexchange.com › questions › 181521 › what-is-the-origin-of-pretty-as-slang-for-somewhat
etymology - What is the origin of "pretty" as slang for "somewhat"? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Top answer
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As FumbleFingers says, this is a pretty old use, going back to Early Modern English:

Pretty (pri•ti) adv. Forms: see prec. [The adj. in adverbial use.]
 1. To a considerable extent, considerably; in a fair or moderate degree, fairly, moderately, tolerably; [...]
1598 FLORIO Dict. Ep. Ded. 3 Boccace is prettie hard, yet understood: Petrarche harder but explained. —OED 1

(I offer this OED 1 citation rather than the earlier one reproduced by FumbleFingers because I am not convinced that the use in the earlier citation is adverbial.)

Pretty has a complicated history, as you may see from the OED 1 entry which immediately precedes the link above: from cunning, artful to clever, skilful to ‘a general epithet of admiration or appreciation... fine, pleasing, proper’, and so forth, leading to the main modern sense ‘having beauty without majesty or stateliness’; but the origin of this adverbial use clearly lies in OED 1 sense 5 for the adjective:

 5. Considerable in number, quantity, or extent, as in a pretty deal, while, way, etc.; also a pretty many = a good many; ...

OED 1 gives citations for this use dating from c. 1485 down to 1861, but marks it as ‘Now arch. or dial.’

I am surprised you did not find this in any dictionary; I found it in the first three online dictionaries I checked, Collins, Oxford, and Merriam-Webster. All three post definitions for the adverb after those for the adjective.

2 of 5
4

Perhaps it has to do with French influence after the Norman conquest from the expression "près de" (near) since it means "close to" or "right up to"? I have NO evidence of this. Does anyone? This just came to mind.

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Quora
quora.com › In-the-sentence-“She-is-looking-pretty”-what-is-“pretty”-an-adverb-or-an-adjective
In the sentence “She is looking pretty”, what is “ ...
Answer (1 of 12): Lotta misinformation here. Let me explain. Some verbs are called “linking” verbs, such as “is.”. They connect the subject and whatever comes after the verb: Mary is the president. (Mary=president). This is quite different from transitive verbs, which “transfer” ...
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english › pretty
PRETTY | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
Nothing really changes around here. One day is pretty much like the next. ... PrettyWe can use pretty as an adverb, before an adjective or another adverb, meaning ‘quite, but not extremely’. It is informal: …
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Vedantu
vedantu.com › question-answer › fill-in-the-blank-with-the-correct-option-the-class-10-english-cbse-5f2aa04b30e38071b282c02a
Fill in the blank with the correct option The adverb class 10 english CBSE
November 3, 2025 - In this case, the word ‘quite’ is an adverb because it describes the adjective ‘good’, but does not end in ‘-ly’. The suffixes of adverbs are not the same across the board, they are subject to change. There is no way to guess these suffixes and the best way to correctly guess them ...
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Testbook
testbook.com › home › english › grammar › parts of speech
[Solved] Choose which part of speech the underlined word belongs
Top answer
1 of 1
2307
"The correct answer is option 2), i.e. Adverb. Explanation: The underlined word 'pretty' is qualifying the word 'difficult' which is an adjective. In this sentence, 'pretty' means 'quite'. So, 'pretty' is an adverb. As we have to identify the part of speech of the word, we need to know the significance of the parts of speech. Parts of speech: A category to which a word is assigned in accordance with its syntactic functions. In English, the main parts of speech are noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection and determiner etc. Let's understand the definitions of the parts of speech given in the options: Parts of speech  Function Example Pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition Emma is very kind. She never hurts anyone. Adverb modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb They are extremely poor. Adjective modifies a noun or pronoun Testbook is an amazing online learning platform. Conjunction joins two words, phrases or sentences Vijay is poor but he is honest. Sam and Mark are joining us for lunch. Here, 'pretty' is an adverb. ''Pretty' can be mistaken as an adjective. 'Pretty' can be used as an adjective. It means 'attractive; good-looking'. Example: Her sister is a pretty girl."
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Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › us › dictionary › english › pretty
PRETTY definition in American English | Collins English Dictionary
... to pretty up a room SYNONYMS 1. See beautiful. 2–4. pleasant. 10. somewhat.ANTONYMS 1. ugly.USAGE The qualifying adverb pretty, meaning “fairly or moderately” has been in general use since the late 16th century.
Published   March 20, 2018
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › dictionary › pretty
Pretty Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
◊ Someone who is not just a/another pretty face or more than (just) a pretty face is attractive but also has other good qualities, such as intelligence. If he wants to get people to vote for him, he's got to prove he's more than just a pretty face. [+] more examples [-] hide examples [+] Example sentences [-] Hide examples · /ˈprɪtəli/ adverb ·
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Primavera English
primaveraenglish.com › word-of-the-month-pretty
Word of the Month: pretty | Primavera English
August 2, 2021 - Pretty is a pretty common word in English, because it has an adjective, adverb, and verb form. You will most often hear it being used in its adverb form, where it means “moderately,” or “quite.” Note that it is different from very or ...
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › dictionary › eb › qa › pretty-fairly-really-very-and-quite
Pretty, fairly, really, very, and quite | Britannica Dictionary
How are these words used? – Anna, Indonesia · Pretty, fairly, really, very, and quite are placed directly in front of adjectives or adverbs to add to their meaning. Often they make the meaning of the adverb or adjective ...
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WordType
wordtype.org › of › pretty
What type of word is 'pretty'? Pretty can be an adverb, a noun, a verb or an adjective - Word Type
... pretty can be used as a adjective in the sense of "Cunning; clever, skilful." or "Pleasant in sight or other senses; attractive, especially of women or children." or "Of objects or things: nice-looking, appealing." or "Fine-looking; only superficially attractive; initially appealing but ...
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Vedantu
vedantu.com › question-answer › fill-in-the-blank-with-a-correct-adjective-or-an-class-9-english-cbse-5f59ae1368d6b37d16225167
Fill in the blank with a correct adjective or an adverb class 9 english CBSE
January 17, 2025 - Complete step by step answer: In ... to fill in the sentence. Option A) Pretty – is an incorrect answer because the word ‘pretty’ is an adjective not an adverb....
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Vocabulary.com
vocabulary.com › dictionary › pretty
Pretty - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
If you say, “That’s a pretty mess you got me into!” that means it’s a bad mess. Pretty has an adverb form that means something is present to a moderate degree, another way to say fairly.
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Smart Vocab
smartvocab.in › app › words › pretty
Pretty Meaning
Learn vocabulary Contextually and Visually through Movies, Short Stories, Novels, Speeches and Quotes. Learning Vocabulary is engaging, entertaining & enlightening like never before Learn, Watch and Play "Vocabulary" with Visual Flashcards, Rootwords and Word Lists
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