adjectiveadverb

schön

beautiful · nice

Etwas sieht gut aus und gefällt vielen Menschen.

Definition & meaning

schön is an adjective and adverb meaning beautiful, pretty, lovely, or nice.

Aesthetically pleasing
- Das ist ein schönes Bild. — “That is a beautiful picture.”
- It can describe people, objects, places, sounds, or experiences.
Pleasant or enjoyable
- Wir hatten einen schönen Abend. — “We had a lovely evening.”
- Schön, dich zu sehen. — “Nice to see you.”
Good or satisfactory
- Das hast du schön gemacht. — “You did that well/nicely.”
- In this use, it can express approval.
As an intensifier
- Das ist schön teuer. — “That is quite expensive.”
- Here, schön means “rather,” “considerably,” or sometimes “very,” depending on context.
As an ironic or emphatic interjection
- Na schön. — “All right then.”
- Schön! — “Fine!” or “Good!”

Grammar & Word origin

schön is an adjective. It can be used:

Attributively: ein schöner Tag — “a beautiful day”
Predicatively: Der Tag ist schön. — “The day is beautiful.”
Adverbially: Sie singt schön. — “She sings beautifully.”

It has regular comparative forms:

schön — beautiful
schöner — more beautiful
am schönsten — the most beautiful

The adjective changes its ending according to the noun, case, gender, and determiner: ein schönes Haus, eine schöne Stadt, schöne Blumen.

Historically, schön comes from Old High German scōni, meaning “beautiful” or “shining.” It is a simple adjective, not a compound. Related words include Schönheit (“beauty”) and verschönern (“to beautify”).

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

hübsch — pretty or attractive, often used especially for people, faces, or smaller objects. It can sound slightly less strong than schön.
attraktiv — attractive, usually concerning a person or appearance; more neutral and objective.
wunderschön — wonderfully beautiful; stronger than schön.
prächtig — splendid or magnificent, often describing impressive appearance or grandeur.
angenehm — pleasant or agreeable; it describes an enjoyable experience more than visual beauty.
nett — nice or kind; it usually describes behavior or personality rather than beauty.

Antonyms

hässlich — ugly; the clearest antonym when discussing appearance.
unschön — unattractive or unpleasant; often milder and more diplomatic than hässlich.
unangenehm — unpleasant; the opposite of schön when referring to an experience, situation, or feeling.
schlecht — bad; an antonym when schön means good, satisfactory, or pleasant, but not usually when it means visually beautiful.