Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Elegant

El′e-gant

,
Adj.
[L.
elegans
,
-antis
; akin to
eligere
to pick out, choose, select: cf. F.
élégant
. See
Elect
.]
1.
Very choice, and hence, pleasing to good taste; characterized by grace, propriety, and refinement, and the absence of every thing offensive; exciting admiration and approbation by symmetry, completeness, freedom from blemish, and the like; graceful; tasteful and highly attractive;
as,
elegant
manners;
elegant
style of composition; an
elegant
speaker; an
elegant
structure.
A more diligent cultivation of
elegant
literature.
Prescott.
Syn. – Tasteful; polished; graceful; refined; comely; handsome; richly ornamental.

Webster 1828 Edition


Elegant

EL'EGANT

,
Adj.
[L. elegans.] Polished; polite; refined; graceful; pleasing to good taste; as elegant manners.
1.
Polished, neat; pure; rich in expressions; correct in arrangement; as an elegant style or composition.
2.
Uttering or delivering elegant language with propriety and grace; as an elegant speaker.
3.
Symmetrical; regular; well formed in its parts, proportions and distribution; as an elegant structure.
4.
Nice; sensible to beauty; discriminating beauty from deformity or imperfection; as an elegant taste. [This is a loose application of the word; elegant being used for delicate.]
5.
Beautiful in form and colors; pleasing; as an elegant flower.
6.
Rich; costly and ornamental; as elegant furniture or equipage.

Definition 2024


elegant

elegant

See also: élégant and êlégant

English

Adjective

elegant (comparative more elegant, superlative most elegant)

  1. Characterised by or exhibiting elegance.
  2. Characterised by minimalism and intuitiveness while preserving exactness and precision.
    an elegant solution

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations


Catalan

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

elegant m, f (masculine and feminine plural elegants)

  1. elegant

Danish

Etymology

Borrowing from French élégant, from Latin ēlegāns.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /eləɡant/, [eləˈɡ̊anˀd̥]

Adjective

elegant

  1. elegant, smart
  2. elegant, neat
  3. (adverbial) elegantly, smartly, neatly

Inflection

Inflection of elegant
Positive Comparative Superlative
Common singular elegant elegantere elegantest2
Neuter singular elegant elegantere elegantest2
Plural elegante elegantere elegantest2
Definite attributive1 elegante elegantere eleganteste
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Derived terms

  • uelegant

References


Dutch

Pronunciation

  • (Southern) IPA(key): /eləˈɣɑnt/
  • (Northern) IPA(key): /eləˈxɑnt/

Etymology

From Middle French elegant.

Adjective

elegant (comparative eleganter, superlative elegantst)

  1. elegant

Inflection

Inflection of elegant
uninflected elegant
inflected elegante
comparative eleganter
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial elegant eleganter het elegantst
het elegantste
indefinite m./f. sing. elegante elegantere elegantste
n. sing. elegant eleganter elegantste
plural elegante elegantere elegantste
definite elegante elegantere elegantste
partitive elegants eleganters

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

  • elegantie

Anagrams


German

Etymology

Borrowing from Middle French elegant.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /eleˈɡant/, /eləˈɡant/
  • Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

elegant (comparative eleganter, superlative am elegantesten)

  1. elegant

Declension


Middle French

Adjective

elegant m (feminine singular elegante, masculine plural elegants, feminine plural elegantes)

  1. elegant

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin elegans, via French élégant

Adjective

elegant (neuter singular elegant, definite singular and plural elegante)

  1. elegant

References


Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin elegans, via French élégant

Adjective

elegant (neuter singular elegant, definite singular and plural elegante)

  1. elegant

References