beautiful people

plural noun

often capitalized B&P
: wealthy or famous people whose lifestyle is usually expensive and well-publicized

Did you know?

Can beautiful be used to describe a man?

Our evidence shows that when beautiful is used to describe physical beauty, it is overwhelming used of women or a physical aspect of a woman (such as her hair or skin). This hasn't always been the case: when beautiful first came into English it was used as easily of men as it was of women. Nowadays, handsome is the adjective of appreciation most commonly used of men.

The plural noun phrase beautiful people doesn't refer to the overall looks of the people mentioned, but rather the elegance and sumptuousness of their lives.

Examples of beautiful people in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Flying Lady — with its logo of a woman’s silhouette flying through a pink ring — was a fixture at the Playpen for years, often cross-promoting with nightclubs and modeling agencies and offering a day on the lake with the city’s most beautiful people. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025 There are worse gigs than being sent to various European cities to look at interesting clothes being worn by beautiful people. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2025 To get to work with all these great beautiful people who all are a family now, and just tune up here and there was a really special full-circle moment. Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025 People love to tune in, tune out, and escape while watching beautiful people doing impossible things. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for beautiful people

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of beautiful people was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Beautiful people.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beautiful%20people. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on beautiful people

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