beautification

First attested in 1600, from beautify (“to make beautiful”) +‎ -ication.^[1]

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bjuːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

beautification (countable and uncountable, plural beautifications)

1. Making beautiful, beautifying, improving the appearance of something.

   Antonym: uglification

   Near-synonym: prettification

   Thanks to the beautification efforts, the appearance of the highway has vastly improved.

   • 2025 August 16, Emma Jacobs, quoting Aamer Khan, “Would you pay $200,000 to look half your age?”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 5:

     This trend, which he attributes to social media and describes as “beautification” rather than a desire to turn back the years, might involve a blepharoplasty or removing buccal fat (between the cheek and jaw bones.)