Beautiful vs. Divine — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 30, 2023
Beautiful refers to aesthetic appeal and attractiveness; divine denotes godly perfection or supreme excellence.
Difference Between Beautiful and Divine
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Beautiful typically describes something pleasing to the senses, especially sight. It's often used for things that evoke admiration or awe due to their appearance. Divine, on the other hand, implies a level of perfection or excellence that transcends earthly standards, often associated with deity or godliness.
The term beautiful can apply to a wide range of subjects, from nature to art, and it often involves personal taste and cultural standards. Divine, in its traditional sense, is related to the sacred, celestial, or supernatural, suggesting an extraordinary or incomprehensible quality.
While beauty is largely subjective and can change with societal trends, divine carries a sense of timelessness and universal reverence. Divine often implies a spiritual or moral excellence beyond human capabilities.
The appreciation of beauty is a human experience, often resulting in emotional responses like joy or pleasure. The concept of the divine, however, is rooted in religious or spiritual contexts and can evoke feelings of reverence or awe.
In contemporary usage, beautiful is commonly used in everyday language, while divine is often reserved for more elevated or spiritual discussions, though it's sometimes used hyperbolically to describe something exceptionally wonderful.
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Comparison Chart
Meaning
Pleasing to the senses; attractive
Godly perfection; supreme excellence
Context of Use
Wide-ranging, subjective
Sacred, celestial; often in religious context
Subjectivity
Highly subjective; varies with trends
Connotes timelessness, universal reverence
Emotional Response
Joy, pleasure, admiration
Reverence, awe, spiritual connection
Common Usage
Everyday language, diverse subjects
Elevated, spiritual discussions; sometimes hyperbolic
Compare with Definitions
Beautiful
Pleasing to the senses, especially sight.
The sunset was breathtakingly beautiful.
Divine
Pertaining to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
They sought divine guidance in their decision.
Beautiful
Aesthetically pleasing.
The painting was a beautiful composition of colors.
Divine
Characterized by godlike perfection.
The divine beauty of the universe is awe-inspiring.
Beautiful
Delighting the senses or mind.
The story had a beautiful ending.
Divine
Heavenly, celestial.
She believed in a divine afterlife.
Beautiful
Possessing qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction.
Her beautiful voice captivated the audience.
Divine
Extremely good or unusually lovely.
The dessert tasted absolutely divine.
Beautiful
Excelling in grace, form, or charm.
The garden was filled with beautiful flowers.
Divine
Pertaining to theology or religious studies.
He spent his life studying divine law.
Beautiful
Having qualities that delight or appeal to the senses and often the mind.
Divine
Having the nature of or being a deity.
Beautiful
Excellent; wonderful
Hit a beautiful shot from the tee.
Divine
Of, relating to, emanating from, or being the expression of a deity
Sought divine guidance through meditation.
Beautiful
Used to express approval or delight.
Divine
Being in the service or worship of a deity; sacred.
Beautiful
Attractive and possessing beauty.
Anyone who has ever met her thought she was absolutely beautiful.
There's a beautiful lake by the town.
Divine
Superhuman; godlike.
Beautiful
Good, admirable.
He was a beautiful person; he would drop everything to help you.
You've done a beautiful thing today.
Divine
Supremely good or beautiful; magnificent
A divine performance of the concerto.
Beautiful
(of the weather) Pleasant; clear.
It's beautiful outside, let's go for a walk.
Divine
Extremely pleasant; delightful
Had a divine time at the ball.
Beautiful
Well executed.
The skater performed a beautiful axel.
Divine
A cleric.
Beautiful
Someone who is beautiful. Can be used as a term of address.
The man was faithful to his wife, ignoring the many blonde beautifuls who surrounded him wherever he went.
Hey, beautiful!
Divine
A theologian.
Beautiful
Having the qualities which constitute beauty; pleasing to the sight or the mind.
A circle is more beautiful than a square; a square is more beautiful than a parallelogram.
Divine
To foretell, especially by divination.
Beautiful
Delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration;
A beautiful child
Beautiful country
A beautiful painting
A beautiful theory
A beautiful party
Divine
To guess or know by inspiration or intuition
Somehow divined the answer despite not having read the assignment.
Beautiful
Aesthetically pleasing
Divine
To locate (underground water or minerals) with a divining rod; douse.
Beautiful
(of weather) highly enjoyable;
What a beautiful day
Divine
To practice divination.
Divine
To guess.
Divine
Of or pertaining to a god.
Divine
Eternal, holy, or otherwise godlike.
Divine
Of superhuman or surpassing excellence.
Divine
Beautiful, heavenly.
Divine
(obsolete) Foreboding; prescient.
Divine
Immortal; elect or saved after death
Divine
Relating to divinity or theology.
Divine
One skilled in divinity; a theologian.
Divine
A minister of the gospel; a priest; a clergyman.
Divine
(often capitalized, with 'the') God or a god, particularly in its aspect as a transcendental concept.
Divine
(transitive) To foretell (something), especially by the use of divination.
Divine
(transitive) To guess or discover (something) through intuition or insight.
Divine
(transitive) To search for (underground objects or water) using a divining rod.
Divine
To render divine; to deify.
Divine
Of or belonging to God; as, divine perfections; the divine will.
Divine
Proceeding from God; as, divine judgments.
Divine
Appropriated to God, or celebrating his praise; religious; pious; holy; as, divine service; divine songs; divine worship.
Divine
Pertaining to, or proceeding from, a deity; partaking of the nature of a god or the gods.
Divine
Godlike; heavenly; excellent in the highest degree; supremely admirable; apparently above what is human. In this application, the word admits of comparison; as, the divinest mind.
A divine sentence is in the lips of the king.
But not to one in this benighted ageIs that diviner inspiration given.
Divine
Presageful; foreboding; prescient.
Yet oft his heart, divine of something ill,Misgave him.
Divine
Relating to divinity or theology.
Church history and other divine learning.
Divine
One skilled in divinity; a theologian.
Divine
A minister of the gospel; a priest; a clergyman.
The first divines of New England were surpassed by none in extensive erudition.
Divine
To foresee or foreknow; to detect; to anticipate; to conjecture.
A sagacity which divined the evil designs.
Divine
To foretell; to predict; to presage.
Darest thou . . . divine his downfall?
Divine
To render divine; to deify.
Living on earth like angel new divined.
Divine
To use or practice divination; to foretell by divination; to utter prognostications.
The prophets thereof divine for money.
Divine
To have or feel a presage or foreboding.
Suggest but truth to my divining thoughts.
Divine
To conjecture or guess; as, to divine rightly.
Divine
Terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
Divine
A clergyman or other person in religious orders
Divine
Perceive intuitively or through some inexplicable perceptive powers
Divine
Search by divining, as if with a rod;
He claimed he could divine underground water
Divine
Emanating from God;
Divine judgment
Divine guidance
Everything is black1 or white...satanic or godlyt
Divine
Resulting from divine providence;
Providential care
A providential visitation
Divine
Being or having the nature of a god;
The custom of killing the divine king upon any serious failure of his...powers
The divine will
The divine capacity for love
'Tis wise to learn; 'tis God-like to create
Divine
Devoted to or in the service or worship of a deity;
Divine worship
Divine liturgy
Divine
Appropriate to or befitting a god;
The divine strength of Achilles
A man of godlike sagacity
Man must play God for he has acquired certain godlike powers
Divine
Of such surpassing excellence as to suggest divine inspiration;
Her pies were simply divine
The divine Shakespeare
An elysian meal
An inspired performance
Common Curiosities
Is the term "divine" associated with godliness?
Yes, divine implies a level of perfection or excellence often associated with deity.
What does "beautiful" typically describe?
Beautiful describes something pleasing to the senses, especially sight.
Can beautiful apply to different subjects?
Yes, beautiful can apply to a wide range of subjects, including nature and art.
Is divine usually used in a religious context?
Traditionally, yes, divine is often used in religious or spiritual contexts.
Can beauty evoke emotional responses?
Yes, beauty often results in emotional responses like joy or pleasure.
Can beautiful be subjective?
Yes, beauty is largely subjective and can vary with personal taste.
Does divine suggest timelessness?
Yes, divine often conveys a sense of timelessness and universal reverence.
Is the term beautiful used in everyday language?
Yes, beautiful is commonly used in everyday language.
Is divine connected to moral excellence?
Yes, divine often implies spiritual or moral excellence beyond human capabilities.
Does divine evoke feelings of reverence?
Yes, the concept of the divine can evoke feelings of reverence or awe.
Does beautiful involve personal taste?
Yes, the appreciation of beauty often involves personal taste.
Can beautiful describe artistic works?
Yes, beautiful can describe artistic works like paintings or music.
Can divine describe something extremely good?
Yes, in contemporary usage, divine can describe something extremely good or lovely.
Is the concept of the divine rooted in spiritual contexts?
Yes, the concept of the divine is typically rooted in religious or spiritual contexts.
Can divine be used hyperbolically?
Yes, divine is sometimes used hyperbolically to describe something exceptionally wonderful.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
