jaunty
Americanadjective
-
easy and sprightly in manner or bearing.
to walk with a jaunty step.
-
smartly trim, as clothing.
a jaunty hat.
adjective
-
sprightly, self-confident, and cheerful; brisk
a jaunty step
-
smart; trim
a jaunty hat
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of jaunty
First recorded in 1655–65; earlier jentee, juntee, from French gentil “noble, gentle” ( see genteel), with ending taken as -y 1
Explanation
Jaunty combines ideas such as cheerful, spiffy, upbeat, and natty into one delightfully economical adjective that means all of those things at once! A jaunty hat is one that's stylish and cheerful at the same time, a quality that can be accentuated if the person wears it in a jaunty fashion, perhaps off to the side or over one eye. Playing the part of a jaunty person is easy if you're feeling upbeat and chipper and want the world to know it. Elves are often jaunty in their own way. Sporting their spiffy outfits and featuring that trademark cheerful spring in their step. The fact they always seem so lively and eager to chat only increases the jaunty impression they make. One can't be blamed for wanting to take a jaunt with the jaunty little guys.
Vocabulary lists containing jaunty
The Giver
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Positive Words to Describe a Person
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Tuck Everlasting
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Earlier this year, a jury heard how Melotte, of Jaunty Avenue, Sheffield, shared a series of posts on social media on the day of the attack.
From BBC • Aug. 23, 2024
Jaunty music played in the background, and all around him people posed in front of #cokeplay billboards, then handed their phones over to prove they got the hashtags right to receive their prize: another advertisement.
From Washington Times • Feb. 25, 2018
Jaunty paintings of pigs cover the walls at the Pacoima taco stand Carnitas Loya, which, in case you couldn’t tell from the name alone, specializes in carnitas.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2016
Jaunty, a little vulgar, with oompah rhythms in the brass, it sounds like an intrusion from another realm, almost like something out of Nino Rota’s soundtracks for Fellini.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 30, 2015
Jaunty curled his lip in a lopsided smile, exposing a few stained teeth.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
