Pretty, cute, beautiful...is there a difference?

[Djini]

I'm recently single again after a 7 yr relationship. In the past few months I've had different guys call me pretty, cute and beautiful. For the guys that called me pretty and cute I know that both would like to sleep with me, and frankly I'm ok with that. The guy that called me beautiful I think was just being complimentary. Is there a difference when guys use these beauty terms? Or is it simply a way of them saying they're attracted to me?

[Mathias]

Those guys probably had a specific reason for using the word they did, but we're not going to be qualified to do anything but guess why they did. So, I wouldn't read too much into the difference.

[Evo1114]

Are you asking what the difference is between those 3 words?

For me, I dunno, I'd say as far as interest in somebody goes...Beautiful > Pretty > Cute. I call my niece 'cute' so I don't think that's something to do backflips over. If I find somebody attractive, I'll tell them as a compliment...doesn't necessarily mean I'm interested in them...though there is a very good chance that I'd want to sleep with them if I did find them attractive. At the same time, I'm not going to call somebody 'beautiful' if I don't consider them to be so...and I don't think other dudes would either. So I'd definitely say there really is physical attraction there.

[bloodtippedrose]

Usually for me it goes like this:

Hot/sexy: high compliment usually given when sex is the ultimate goal

beautiful: also high compliment usually given when a guy is thinking in terms other than sex or in a very loving way

adorable: high compliment meaning I just did something in cute-overdrive. Not usually in relation to looks

pretty: slightly above average compliment. Used in a variety of situations

cute: the most debatable compliment which to me is an average compliment given when a guy doesnt think you're hot/ if you have an innocent quality about you/ or if they don't know you very well and don't wan't to go overboard (my bf holds cute above pretty and equal to hot/sexy because he is highly attracted to girls acting and dressed "cute" and not girls dressed or acting "sexy" which to him=trampy)

okay: means he's seen better, but you'll do..

[TheTooya]

I consider the following when I compliment a gf or girl.

Hot/sexy: I only say this to a girl I'm already in a relationship with, mostly because I don't want to seem like a guy with ulterior motives (seems too frank/forward for my tastes)

beautiful: I would tell a girl this if I truly saw.. something of "beauty". Maybe she is dressed up, maybe the sun is shining the right way, its a special reserved word.

pretty: ... Yea this is not too special of a compliment. I would have 0 problems telling a date she was pretty (unlike calling her beauitful)

cute: Now for me, I use cute a lot... but I value "cute" over "pretty" / "hot". I'd call a girl that I am very interested cute.... but then again I would also call a dog cute too.

[Delicioso]

Cute is a tricky one, I say a lot of things are cute. But when talking to a girl, when I say cute it's a strong compliment. Beautiful sounds weird to me, like I'm desperately trying to get laid. Hot/sexy I'd only say after I knew them well, for pretty much the same reason as beautiful. Cute is me saying "I find you incredibly attractive in a variety of ways, but I am going to understate the hell out of it not to scare you off."

This strategy has had mixed results XD