Sounds about right... But to me "hot" is purely physical and "beautiful" takes things like personality into account in addition to physical aspects. In other words, I think of beauty as the sum total of the woman.

What about sexy? If a guy says he always thought you were sexy...Does that mean he only sees you as a sex object?

Please girls dont start thinking just because he calls you hot that he doesnt think you are beautiful while i agree with the wise ass please dont think this is very important at the begining of a relationship you could well be categorized as hot honestly i really ouldnt take this really into much account some guys lingo are just different 2 others

I'd say if you get called either one of those terms, that you should just take it as the compliment that it is and not worry too much about trying to figure out any hidden intent or meanings. It is all just semantics and personal viewpoint anyway. If someone says you are hot or beautiful, just smile and say thank you. There are plenty of women who never get called either one who would be thrilled to hear someone refer to them with those terms. It is sad that our society is so appearance oriented and that so much importance is attached to looks, but unfortunately, women are constantly bombarded with the message that their self worth is measured by and directly related to how "beautiful" or "hot" they are.

That is a great point Daisy.

Guys can sometimes be subtle in our distinctions with words, but often times we are not. We just choose a random word out of the air. On a recent date I randomly pulled out "fetching", where it came from, I have no idea. Really, all I was trying to say was that I found the woman attractive.

It's a lot like the problem that we guys face when we contemplate bringing flowers on a date. I know that there is a whole language and meaning behind the different flowers out there (red means passion, yellow means friendship, green means that you just have a stem), but I have no clue what any of those meanings are. So, I just pick something that I think she might like, and hope for the best.

So, just take "hot" and "beautiful" to mean "attractive", and any color flowers to mean "flowers".

So.... what of "cute", then?

There's nothing like when my boyfriend calls me beautiful. It just makes you feel really good, like they actually aren't just thinking about your physical looks but also everything else that makes up you as a person. Calling someone "hot" just seems so tacky to me

Hear hear, Daisy. I've also found that "hot" is becoming a shorthand for "beautiful" more these days. A guy may just say "you're hot" because it's shorter and edgier. "Sexy" has an "x" in it, so that's even more edgy. That's like the snowboarding of affectionate adjectives.

Here is how I would define the various states of a girl:

Cute: She has a "little girl" quality like bundled up in way too many blankets on the couch or an acceptable level of clumsiness. There is no sex appeal in a cute girl

Hot: Yeah, i pretty much want to bang her, probably multiple times but I seriously think the relationship would extend beyond the bar or the bedroom. It could also mean that it is temporary, think Eastern European women, Hot until about 35...

Sexy: Pretty much the same as Hot. This could be disagreed with, but Sexy to me has a slutty quality. I don't mean this in a bad way but a beautiful girl can look sexy (think a little black dress or that nurse Halloween costume).

Gorgeous: While similar to beautiful, gorgeous is pretty much unattainable. Heidi Klum (good work Seal), Elle McPherson, etc.

Beautiful: Lasting beauty. You can see yourself with this person for a very long time and her looks wouldnt fade.

Beauty is not only in the eye of the beholder so to speak, it's also about what's in the Heart & Soul of the human being (not sex object) that's in your desire. Everyone can be HOT with appropriate clothing, especially attitude! But can everyone be beautiful as well? I think so, my friend.

Maybe sexy is based more on the aura or attitude of a woman, rather then just her looks which would be deemed "hot". I think in this way when saying a girl is sexy, you are also implying she is "hot", but I do not think that works the other way around. Anyone care to share their thoughts on this?

What about "smoking"?

Heh, yeah each to there own.
Shoot even the same word can have a slew of meanings.
When I say cute randomly I usually mean "pretty with innocence, zero sex appeal".
When I say it to my wife I mean "sexy like a japanese school girl, come here so I can be a dirty old man."
When I'm looking at a picture of a kitten I mean "cute".