Beauty is commonly defined as a distinctive present in a person, place, object or idea that provides a perceptual experience of delight, meaning or satisfaction to the mind or to the eyes, arising from sensory manifestations such as a shape, color, persona, sound, design or rhythm. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology and culture. Beauty, as a cultural creation, is also tremendously commercialized.

The subjective experience of "beauty" often involves the elucidation of some entity as being in balance and concord with nature, which may lead to feelings of attraction and emotional well-being. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is a common idiom attributed to this concept.

In its most profound sense, beauty may provoke a relevant experience of positive reflection about the meaning of one's own existence. An "object of beauty" is anything that reveals or resonates with personal meaning. Hence sacred and moral teachings often focus on the religion and virtue of beauty, and to assert natural beauty as an aspect of a mysticism and truth.