sitting pretty

adjin an advantageous position

Synonyms for sitting pretty

adj in an advantageous position

Word Origin & History

Old English prættig (West Saxon), pretti (Kentish), *prettig (Mercian) "cunning, skillful, artful, wily, astute," from prætt, *prett "a trick, wile, craft," from West Germanic *pratt- (cf. Old Norse prettr "a trick," prettugr "tricky;" Frisian pret, Middle Dutch perte, Dutch pret "trick, joke," Dutch prettig "sportive, funny," Flemish pertig "brisk, clever"), of unknown origin.

Connection between Old English and Middle English words is uncertain, but if they are the same, meaning had shifted by c.1400 to "manly, gallant," and later moved via "attractive, skillfully made," to "fine," to "beautiful in a slight way" (mid-15c.). Ironical use from 1530s. For sense evolution, compare nice, silly. Also used of bees (c.1400). "After the OE. period the word is unknown till the 15th c., when it becomes all at once frequent in various senses, none identical with the OE., though derivable from it" [OED].

Meaning "not a few, considerable" is from late 15c. With a sense of "moderately," qualifying adjectives and adverbs, since 1560s. Pretty please as an emphatic plea is attested from 1902. A pretty penny "lot of money" is first recorded 1768.

Example Sentences for sitting pretty

Jurymen were shortly to be drawn and things were "sitting pretty," as they say in poker.

"I'm sitting pretty," Allen remarked casually, picking up the five cards that he had laid down before he dealt.

Were sitting pretty now, Billy remarked as he rolled a cigarette, but I am wondering what we are going to eat and drink?

I was sitting pretty far back, and I went out before any of your family saw me.

So, now, I was sitting pretty in our American slang and I did not want to marry.

sitting pretty

Synonyms for sitting pretty

more fortunate

prosperous

safe

safer

safest

sitting pretty

Synonyms for sitting pretty

More words related to sitting pretty

fortunate

more fortunate

prosperous

safe

safer

safest