Pretty Meaning: A Large Sum of Money Explained

Meaning 1：a large amount of money (pretty)

pretty 🔊

/ˈprɪti/

adv.

A surprisingly or fairly large amount, often of money or time.

Pretty meaning: a large pile of coins and banknotes for scale

a large amount of money 🔊

➕

/ə lɑːrdʒ əˈmaʊnt ʌv ˈmʌni/

adv.

Refers to a surprisingly large or considerable sum of money, or sometimes a significant amount of time, typically used in the fixed expression 'a pretty penny'.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

OE 'prættig' (cunning) → 'pleasing'. Adv. 'fairly' from 1500s.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'pretty penny' as 'PRETTY large amount' — the 'pretty' here means 'considerable'.

📖 Example

The company spent a pretty penny to develop that new smartphone. 🔊 The company spent a surprisingly large amount of money to develop that new smartphone.

🔗 Collocations

a pretty penny – a large sum of money

cost a pretty penny – to be very expensive

spend a pretty penny – to spend a lot of money

🔄 Synonyms

a large sum (n.) – a considerable amount of money

a tidy sum (n.) – a fairly large amount of money

a bundle (n.) – a large amount of money, especially in informal contexts

🚫 Antonyms

a small amount (n.) – a tiny sum of money

a pittance (n.) – a very small or inadequate amount of money

a trifle (n.) – a small amount of money

📖 Cultural Story

Originally 'sly', then 'clever', 'fine'. As adverb 'fairly' emerged by 1500s. Phrase 'a pretty penny' (1700s) meant a large sum of money.