prettify

Make more attractive

To prettify something is to make it prettier or more attractive, often superficially or excessively: She prettified the report with colorful charts.

The word carries a slightly dismissive tone, suggesting cosmetic improvement rather than substantive change: They prettified the old building's facade without fixing the foundation.

In computing, prettify means to format code for readability.

beautify

embellish

Add decorative elements

adornAdd beauty to
beautifyMake more attractive
glamorizePresent as more attractive

enhance · polish · refine · spruce up · dress up · gussy up · doll up · tart up · smarten · primp

superficial

veneer

Decorative outer layer

facadeDeceptive outward appearance
gloss overMinimize or conceal flaws
window dressingDeceptive surface appeal

lipstick · cosmetic · superficial · surface-level · mask · disguise · cover up · whitewash · sugarcoat · spin

code

format

Arrangement and presentation style

indentText set inward
minifyReduce to smallest form
lintLoose textile fibers

refactor · clean up · whitespace · markup · stylesheet · CSS · HTML · formatter · beautifier · readability

Categories

decoratedecorate, adorn, beautify, embellish, ornament
sugarcoatingsweeten, soften, gloss over, whitewash, soft-pedal
rose-tinted thinkingidealize, glorify, sugarcoat, embellish, sentimentalize
improveimprove, enhance, better, refine, upgrade

Opposites

aesthetic transformation

prettifyuglify

Make unattractive

disfigure · mar · deface · blemish · blot

authenticity/presentation

prettifyexpose

Make known publicly

lay bare · strip down · deglamorize · reveal · demystify

Family

prettiest, prettier, prettiness, prettified, prettifying, prettifies

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G