Which term means physical beauty or attractiveness?

• A. Pulchritude
• B. Apathetic
• C. Shilly-shallying
• D. Credulous

Answer: (A)

Physically striking beauty is captured by the word pulchritude. It’s a formal noun that means attractiveness or beauty, often used in literary or high-style English. The root pulch- comes from Latin and points to beauty, so pulchritude is basically “the quality of being beautiful.” You can use it for a person or a scene when you want a more elevated word than simply “beauty.”

Apathetic means showing little interest or concern, nothing to do with beauty. Shilly-shallying means being indecisive or wavering, again unrelated to physical appearance. Credulous means ready to believe too easily, which describes a person's tendency to believe rather than their looks. If you remember the root pulch- as beauty, pulchritude will come to mind whenever you need a formal word for physical attractiveness.