pretty much

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pret·ty

(prĭt′ē)

adj. pret·ti·er, pret·ti·est

1. Pleasing or attractive in a graceful or delicate way. See Synonyms at beautiful.

2. Clever; adroit: a pretty maneuver.

3. Very bad; terrible: in a pretty predicament; a situation that has reached a pretty pass.

4. Ostensibly or superficially attractive but lacking substance or conviction: full of pretty phrases.

5. Informal Considerable in size or extent: a pretty fortune.

adv.

1. To a fair degree; moderately: a pretty good student.

2. In a pretty manner; prettily or pleasingly.

n. pl. pret·ties

1. One that is pretty.

2. pretties Delicate clothing, especially lingerie.

tr.v. pret·tied, pret·ty·ing, pret·ties

To make pretty: pretty up the house.

Idiom:

pretty much

For the most part; mostly: "The ... matter was pretty much dying down" (John Strahinich).

[Middle English prety, clever, fine, handsome, from Old English prættig, cunning, from prætt, trick.]

pret′ti·ly adv.

pret′ti·ness n.

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Adv.

pretty much - to some degree; "we were pretty much lost when we met the forest ranger"

References in periodicals archive ?

Pretty much as you might expect, but this one guy sums it up pretty well.

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IT tasted pretty much like the other pints of Guinness I've downed in this festival of boozing...sorry racing.

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The rule is that anybody who donated money to the construction of the ramp is pretty much welcome to come skate anytime.

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"Whenever you get frustrated, it's pretty much an escape.

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When I decided to become a college coach, I applied pretty much everywhere in the country, hoping I'd catch on as a grad assistant some place.

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Since Krakowski had to be in her underwear, "we shot that scene staring at a crew in their boxer shorts, pretty much laughing the entire time," Wood recalls with a giggle.

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I think a lot of these analyzers and testers (in particular testers) are pretty generic in that you can create pretty much any kind of packet you wish.

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My guess is that seeing as how it's been a pretty solid year otherwise, what with new AIDS-combative drugs, a flurry of computer upgrades, Republican Party disarray, and the like, a lot of people, my friends and I included, spent more time this year wondering aloud about the things we couldn't quite define for ourselves, whatever we made or consumed, and pretty much wherever we went.

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I said, "I already made my decision." And that's when he pretty much said, "Alright, well, I can sue you," basically.