quaint Hear it!

quaint definition

quaint (kwānt)

adjective

  1. Obsolete clever or skilled
  2. Now Rare wrought with skill; ingenious
  3. unusual or old-fashioned in a pleasing way
  4. singular; unusual; curious
  5. fanciful; whimsical

Etymology: ME cointe < OFr < L cognitus, known: see cognition

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

quaint Synonyms

quaint

modif.

  1. Unusual

    odd, strange, singular, eccentric; see unusual 2.

  2. Old-fashioned but charming

    picturesque, archaic, fanciful, curious, cute, pleasing, captivating, ancient, antiquated, whimsical, affected, baroque, Victorian, Gothic, Early American, Colonial; see also charming, old-fashioned.

    Antonyms modern*, up-to-date*, fashionable. See syn. study at strange.strange.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

quaint Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • rather: The Faculty in the old days was a rather quaint affair.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • find: They might have found the testimonies quaint ( ' It's wild, man!

Modifies a noun

  • village: There are many quaint fishing villages to explore, all within easy driving distance.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Today's technologies make these fears seem almost quaint.
quaint usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

quaint quotes

The same costume will be Indecent†10 years before its time Shameless†5 years before its time Outre¤   (daring)†1year before its time Smart Dowdy†1year after its time Hideous†10 years after its time Ridiculous†20 years after its time Amusing†30 years after its time Quaint†50 years after its time Charming†70 years after its time Romantic†100 years after its time Beautiful†150 years after its time.

-Laver,James

quaint quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"quaint." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/quaint>

APA Style

quaint. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/quaint

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