elegant Hear it!

elegant Definition

el·egant (el′ə gənt)

adjective

  1. characterized by dignified richness and grace, as of design, dress, style, etc.; luxurious or opulent in a restrained, tasteful manner
  2. characterized by a sense of propriety or refinement; impressively fastidious in manners and tastes
  3. marked by concision, incisiveness, and ingenuity; cleverly apt and simple an elegant solution to a complex problem
  4. Informal excellent; fine; first-rate

Etymology: Fr élégant < L elegans prp. of *elegare < e-, out + *legare, var. of legere, to choose: see logic

elegant Related Forms
el′·egant·ly adverb
elegant Synonyms

elegant

modif.

  1. Said of personal surroundings

    rich, tasteful, classic, restrained, graceful, luxurious, sumptuous, opulent, fine, chic, posh*, classy*, tony*, ritzy*; see also beautiful 1, dignified.

  2. Said of persons

    well-bred, cultured, refined, polished, urbane, sophisticated, aristocratic, dignified, courtly, genteel, graceful, fastidious, smart, chic, well-dressed, soigné, debonair, suave, classy*, chichi*; see also beautiful 2, dignified, refined 2.

  3. Said of writing or speech

    polished, perfected, elaborated, finished, ornate, ornamented, rhythmical, adorned, embellished, embroidered, chaste, balanced, well-turned, flowing, stylized, Ciceronian, artistic, grandiloquent, rhetorical, florid, flowery, fancy, rich, artistic, mellifluous, pure, fluent, neat, concise, incisive, succinct, economical, simple.

    Antonyms dull*, ill-chosen, inarticulate.

elegant Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: Ruby on Rails Support Ruby is a pure object-oriented programming language with a super clean syntax that makes programming elegant and fun.
  • find: Many people find wind turbines elegant and a pleasing part of the landscape.

Modifies a noun

  • surroundings: All of these can be enjoyed in relaxed and elegant surroundings.
  • mansion: There were curved screening walls linked to outbuildings on each side, making an elegant mansion.
  • simplicity: Content Management ASSI chose our exclusive, bespoke content management system because of its elegant simplicity and intuitive ease of use.
  • villa: Elegant Victorian villa offering 2 double & 1 twin rooms, all en-suite.
  • hotel: You can live like royalty in elegant hotels or find a bargain at hostels right in the city center.
  • styling: Below, the ambiance is more relaxed, with fine materials, subtle lighting and elegant styling.

Modifying Another Word

  • classically: Classically elegant rich burgundy colors made their presence felt in Deeply, a section aimed at the more mature bride.
  • superbly: NUnit is open-source code, and a superbly elegant implementation of a unit testing framework.
  • casually: On most nights you will need to dress casually elegant or elegant.
  • beautifully: Without speaking out of school I do think that the GFDL isn't as beautifully elegant and well designed a license as the GPL.
  • remarkably: It's a remarkably elegant solution designed to fit your needs, your space and your work style.
  • truly: The Beautiful Wedding Your source for a truly elegant wedding.

Used with adjective complement

  • look: The case does thankfully not look ' grand ' or tacky at all, rather looks elegant.
  • sound: For emaciated women, words such as " wan " and " lithe " can make them sound elegant.
  • offer: Beautifully arranged over three floors, this stunning five bedroomed house offers elegant living accommodation with sensational entertaining space.

Preposition: in

  • design: Tho elegant in design, the Admiral is a dedicated performer.
  • form: She was patient, elegant in form, the color of an ideal mouse, and inimitably small.

Preposition: of

  • writer: He thought him the most elegant of any mathematical writer of modern times, and the most just imitator of the antients.
elegant Quotes

A little shorter than the Washington monument, erect, elegant, dogmatic, and ironically witty.

—Reston,James B(arrett)

O O O O that Shakespeherian Ragö It's so elegant So intelligent.

—Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)