Beau — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈbō/

Meaning & Definition of Beau

Beau (noun)

  1. dandy
  2. boyfriend

Beau (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a male romantic companion

    "her new beau brought flowers when he picked her up for their first date"

    similar: boy, boyfriend, fellow, man, old man, swain
    related: admirer, crush, steady, gallant, suitor, wooer, beloved, darling, dear, favorite, flame, honey, love, lover, significant other, soulmate, spark, sparker, squeeze (slang), sweet, sweetheart, sweetie, sweetie pie, valentine, fancy man, gigolo, date, escort, groom, husband, fiancé, intended

  2. a man extremely interested in his clothing and personal appearance

    "in his youth he had been a flashy beau and now has a clothing line"

    similar: Beau Brummell, buck, dandy, dude, fop, gallant, jay, lounge lizard, macaroni, pretty boy
    related: coxcomb, fancy Dan, popinjay, blade, cavalier, dasher, clotheshorse, exquisite, swell
    near: slob, sloven

Related Entry: Beau Brummell (noun)

Beau Brummell is a different word from Beau. The synonyms below are for Beau Brummell, not for beau.

  1. a man extremely interested in his clothing and personal appearance

    "the Beau Brummells at the health club spend most of their time in front of the mirror"

    similar: beau, buck, dandy, dude, fop, gallant, jay, lounge lizard, macaroni, pretty boy
    related: coxcomb, fancy Dan, popinjay, blade, cavalier, dasher, clotheshorse, exquisite, swell
    near: slob, sloven

Related Entry: Beau ideal (noun)

Beau ideal is a different word from Beau. The synonyms below are for beau ideal, not for beau.

  1. someone of such unequaled perfection as to deserve imitation

    "she is the beau ideal of the dedicated medical professional"

    similar: classic, eidolon, exemplar, idea, ideal, model, nonesuch, nonpareil, paragon, patron saint
    related: role model, embodiment, epitome, incarnation, manifestation, personification, phantom, pink, archetype, example, mirror, paradigm, pattern, guideline, principle, rule, gauge, standard, touchstone, essence, quintessence, acme, apex, apotheosis, culmination, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenith

  2. the most perfect type or example

    "Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous architectural creation, Falling Water, is widely regarded as the beau ideal of a building in harmony with its setting"

    similar: acme, apotheosis, byword, classic, epitome, exemplar, ideal, perfection, quintessence
    related: archetype, model, prototype, paradigm, standard, nonpareil, paragon, abstract, avatar, embodier, embodiment, incarnation, incorporation, manifestation, personification, height, last word, meridian, ultimate, zenith, benchmark, criterion, touchstone, yardstick

Related Entry: Beau monde (noun)

Beau monde is a different word from Beau. The synonyms below are for beau monde, not for beau.

  1. as in haut monde, café society

    similar: A-list, beautiful people, café society, Four Hundred, glitterati, haut monde, jet set, society, aristocracy, elite, gentility, gentlefolk, gentry, nobility, patriciate, quality, upper class, upper crust, carriage trade, plutocracy
    opposite: proletarians, proletariat, commoners, (the) crowd, (the) masses, peasantry, peonage, (the) people, plebeians, plebs, (the) populace, (the) public, rank and file, bourgeoisie, middle class, working class, dregs, (the) herd, (the) mob, rabble, rabblement, riffraff, scum, trash

Related Entry: Beau Brummells (noun)

Beau Brummells is a different word from Beau. The synonyms below are for Beau Brummells, not for beau.

  1. a man extremely interested in his clothing and personal appearance

    "the Beau Brummells at the health club spend most of their time in front of the mirror"

    similar: beaux, bucks, dandies, dudes, fops, gallants, jays, lounge lizards, macaronis, pretty boys
    related: coxcombs, fancy Dans, popinjays, blades, cavaliers, dashers, clotheshorses, exquisites, swells
    near: slobs, slovens

Related Entry: Beau ideals (noun)

Beau ideals is a different word from Beau. The synonyms below are for beau ideals, not for beau.

  1. someone of such unequaled perfection as to deserve imitation

    "she is the beau ideal of the dedicated medical professional"

    similar: classics, eidolons, exemplars, ideals, ideas, models, nonesuches, nonpareils, paragons, patron saints
    related: role models, embodiments, epitomes, incarnations, manifestations, personifications, phantoms, pinks, archetypes, examples, mirrors, paradigms, patterns, guidelines, principles, rules, gauges, standards, touchstones, essences, quintessences, acmes, apexes, apotheoses, culminations, peaks, pinnacles, summits, zeniths

  2. the most perfect type or example

    "Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous architectural creation, Falling Water, is widely regarded as the beau ideal of a building in harmony with its setting"

    similar: acmes, apotheoses, bywords, classics, epitomes, exemplars, ideals, perfections, quintessences
    related: archetypes, models, prototypes, paradigms, standards, nonpareils, paragons, abstracts, avatars, embodiers, embodiments, incarnations, incorporations, manifestations, personifications, heights, last words, meridians, ultimates, zeniths, benchmarks, criteria, touchstones, yardsticks

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Beau

The most common words with a similar meaning to Beau:

boy, boyfriend, fellow, man, old man, swain, Beau Brummell, buck, dandy, dude, fop, gallant, jay, lounge lizard, macaroni, pretty boy

Related Words for Beau

admirer, crush, steady, suitor, wooer, beloved, darling, dear, favorite, flame, honey, love, lover, significant other, soulmate, spark, sparker, squeeze, sweet, sweetheart, sweetie, sweetie pie, valentine, fancy man, gigolo, date, escort, groom, husband, fiancé

Near Antonyms of Beau

slob, sloven

Word Forms of Beau

Inflections: beaux, beaus

Origin & Etymology of Beau

borrowed from French, from beau, bel (masculine), belle (feminine) "beautiful, good-looking," going back to Old French bel, going back to Latin bellus, probably going back (via *duellos, assimilated from *duenlos) to *dwenelos, diminutive of *dwe-nos "good" (whence Old Latin duenos, Latin bonus) bounty

First known use: 1653

Words & Phrases Containing Beau

Beau Brummell, beau geste, beau ideal, beau monde

Frequently Asked Questions about Beau

What does "Beau" mean?

"Beau" means dandy. As a noun, it is defined as: dandy. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Beau"?

Other words for "Beau" include boy, boyfriend, fellow, man, old man, swain, Beau Brummell and buck. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Beau" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Beau"?

There are 56 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Beau". Common alternatives include boy, boyfriend, fellow, man, old man, swain, Beau Brummell, buck, dandy and dude.

How do you use "Beau" in a sentence?

Examples of "Beau" in a sentence: "her new beau brought flowers when he picked her up for their first date"; "in his youth he had been a flashy beau and now has a clothing line".

Is "Beau" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Beau" is a noun.

How do you pronounce "Beau"?

"Beau" is pronounced /ˈbō/.

What is the origin of the word "Beau"?

"Beau" comes from borrowed from French, from beau, bel (masculine), belle (feminine) "beautiful, good-looking," going back to Old French bel, going back to Latin bellus, probably going back (via *duellos, assimilated from *duenlos) to *dwenelos, diminutive of *dwe-nos "good" (whence Old Latin duenos, Latin bonus) bounty. First known use: 1653.

What is another word for "Beau" meaning "a male romantic companion"?

When "Beau" (noun) means a male romantic companion, synonyms include boy, boyfriend, fellow, man, old man and swain.