Meanings
alternative beauty is only skin-deep
- A person's character matters more than their appearance.
"Handsome those that handsome do say I; beauty is only skin deep; it is the principle of the heart I consider.
1809, Francis Lathom, London, Or, Truth Without Treason, A Novel, page 22 more examples
And she graced the transition. Beauty is only skin-deep, but the nerves lie very near to the skin. Nerve—but just here will you oblige by perusing again the quotation with which this story begins?
1910, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “The Girl and the Habit”, in Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLCIsn’t it time the marketing budgets were reapportioned to the bones and muscles of the building themselves? At present, the beauty in London’s building boom is barely skin deep.
2014 September 25, Hugo Macdonald, “Could those utopian hoardings for new developments get any more nauseating?”, in The Guardian, →ISSNSynonyms: beauty is but skin-deep
Synonyms & antonyms
proverbA person's character matters more than their appearance.
Origin
First use appears c. 1809, although beauty is but skin-deep appears much earlier.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic الجمال جمال الروح
- الجمال جمال الروحa person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Bulgarian външността лъже
- външността лъже (vănšnostta lăže)a person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Danish skønhed kommer indefra
- skønhed kommer indefraa person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Dutch uiterlijk schoon is slechts vertoon
- uiterlijk schoon is slechts vertoona person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Indonesian laksana bunga dadap, sungguh merah berbau tidak
- laksana bunga dadap, sungguh merah berbau tidaka person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Irish más peaca bheith buí tá na mílte damanta, ní hí an bhreáthacht a bhruitheann na prátaí
- más peaca bheith buí tá na mílte damantaa person's character is more important than their outward appearance
- ní hí an bhreáthacht a bhruitheann na prátaía person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Japanese 美人というも皮一重
- 美人というも皮一重 (bijin to iu mo kawa hitoe)a person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Malay لقسان بواه ددڤ, سوڠݢوه مره برباءو تيدق, بواه ماسق مره بلوم تنتو مانيس راسڽ
- لقسان بواه ددڤ, سوڠݢوه مره برباءو تيدقa person's character is more important than their outward appearance
- بواه ماسق مره بلوم تنتو مانيس راسڽa person's character is more important than their outward appearance
- laksana buah dedap, sungguh merah berbau tidaka person's character is more important than their outward appearance
- buah masak merah belum tentu manis rasanyaa person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Polish pozory mylą
- pozory myląa person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Portuguese quem vê cara não vê coração
- quem vê cara não vê coraçãoa person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Russian вне́шность обма́нчива
- вне́шность обма́нчива (vnéšnostʹ obmánčiva)a person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Vietnamese cái nết đánh chết cái đẹp
- cái nết đánh chết cái đẹpa person's character is more important than their outward appearance
Cite this entry
beauty is only skin deep. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beauty%20is%20only%20skin%20deep
“beauty is only skin deep.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beauty%20is%20only%20skin%20deep. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beauty is only skin deep,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beauty%20is%20only%20skin%20deep.
Source: beauty is only skin deep on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.