"Incredible beauty" refers to a degree of beauty that is so great it inspires awe or disbelief. It signifies something exceptionally attractive and visually stunning, often surpassing ordinary beauty.
The meaning is compositional. "Incredible" modifies "beauty," intensifying its meaning. While the combination is common, it doesn't have a separate, idiomatic meaning.
The register is neutral. It can be used in both formal and informal contexts, though it leans slightly towards the expressive side.
The grammatical pattern is adjective + noun. "Incredible" (adjective) modifies "beauty" (noun).
"Incredible beauty" typically functions as the object of a verb (e.g., possess incredible beauty, showcase incredible beauty) or as part of a descriptive phrase (e.g., a place of incredible beauty).
This is not a phrasal verb, so the components cannot be separated.
Using a verb that doesn't align with the concept of beauty would sound unnatural (e.g., destroy incredible beauty). Similarly, using a preposition that doesn't logically connect the beauty to something else would be incorrect (e.g., incredible beauty by).
These examples are sourced from incredible beauty on Ludwig.guru.
"It has also been called Persea ("Perseus's wife") or Cepheis ("Cepheus's daughter"), all names that refer to Andromeda's role in the Greco-Roman myth of Perseus, in which Cassiopeia, the queen of Ethiopia, bragged that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids, sea nymphs blessed with incredible beauty." — Wikipedia
"It has this ferocious power, this incredible beauty." — The New York Times
"The vast area and incredible beauty are difficult to appreciate without being there." — The New York Times - Travel
"I want to celebrate the incredible beauty of a living organism that is so often overlooked and literally underfoot." — Stanford University
"He recalls being struck not only by Earth's incredible beauty — "We are living in a paradise" — but also by its fragility." — The New Yorker
Examples sourced from https://ludwig.guru/s/incredible+beauty
Depending on the level of formality or the specific situation, you might want to vary your language.
| Phrase | Context |
|---|---|
| breathtaking beauty | Emphasizes the awe-inspiring quality. |
| stunning beauty | Similar to 'incredible,' but perhaps slightly more common in everyday speech. |
| exquisite beauty | Suggests refined and delicate beauty. |
| remarkable beauty | Highlights the unusual or noteworthy aspect of the beauty. |
| exceptional beauty | A more formal and objective alternative. |
| sublime beauty | Suggests a beauty that inspires reverence or a sense of the infinite. |
| astonishing beauty | Emphasizes the surprising or unexpected nature of the beauty. |
A common mistake is using synonyms of "incredible" that don't collocate as naturally with "beauty." For example, while grammatically correct, "amazing beauty" is less frequent and idiomatic than "incredible beauty." It is also important to use verbs and prepositions that logically connect with the concept of beauty to avoid unnatural phrasing.
| Expression | Meaning | Grammatical Pattern | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| incredible beauty | Beauty that is so great it inspires awe or disbelief. | Adjective + Noun | Neutral |
No, the words in "incredible beauty" cannot be separated. It's a fixed collocation where the adjective "incredible" directly modifies the noun "beauty." Separating them would disrupt the intended meaning and sound unnatural.
While both "incredible beauty" and "stunning beauty" convey a high degree of attractiveness, "incredible" suggests something almost unbelievable or awe-inspiring. "Stunning" is slightly more common and emphasizes the immediate, striking impact of the beauty.
While "amazing beauty" is grammatically correct, "incredible beauty" is a more established and frequently used collocation. Using "amazing" isn't necessarily wrong, but it may sound slightly less natural or idiomatic to a native English speaker.
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