- Meaning and lesson
Personal taste can outweigh conventional physical attractiveness. What someone finds appealing may matter more than qualities generally labelled beautiful.
The saying emphasizes the force of individual preference in judgments of attraction. It does not set a precise rule for all aesthetic judgment, but notes that particular liking or desire can lead someone to prefer what others may not consider beautiful.
- When it is used
Use it when explaining why a person, object, or style preferred by someone may not match common standards of beauty. It suits reflective discussion of subjective attraction rather than a claim that beauty has no value or that everyone judges it in the same way.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Fancy passes beauty.