English Explanatory Dictionary

elegant

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Characterised by or exhibiting elegance; having grace, refinement, or tasteful simplicity.
  2. Characterised by minimalism and intuitiveness while preserving exactness and precision.
  3. Fine; doing well.
noun
  1. An elegant parrot.

Pronunciation

/ˈɛl.ə.ɡənt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-elegant.wav /ˈel.ə.ɡənt/

Word forms

elegant more elegant most elegant elegants

Etymology

From Late Middle English elegaunt, from Middle French elegant, ultimately from Latin ēlegāns, collateral form of present participle of ēligere, from ex- (“out of, from”) + legō (“choose, select, appoint”).

Synonyms

classy graceful refined dressy

Antonyms

inelegant clumsy sloppy haphazard

Related words

elect eligible elite

Derived words

elegance elegancy elegant crested tinamou elegantness elegant parrot elegant quail elegant tit elegant variation hyperelegant overelegant piss-elegant superelegant swellegant ultraelegant unelegant
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on E Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary