svelte
Americanadjective
-
slender, especially gracefully slender in figure; lithe.
-
suave; blandly urbane.
adjective
-
attractively or gracefully slim; slender
-
urbane or sophisticated
Etymology
Origin of svelte
1810–20; < French < Italian svelto < Vulgar Latin *exvellitus pulled out (replacing Latin ēvulsus, past participle of ēvellere ), equivalent to Latin ex- ex- 1 + velli-, variant stem of vellere to pull, pluck + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
Svelte means slender. It's used to describe people, not things, and it implies a certain elegance. You might say that a middle-aged woman who had kept a svelte figure could still pass for a sixteen-year-old girl. Svelte came to English from the French, back in the 19th century when the French had the last word on fashion, which probably accounts for its associations with elegance. It has nothing to do with the word sweltering, which means hot enough to make you sweat.
Vocabulary lists containing svelte
15 Synonyms for "Thin": An Eileen Ford (1922-2014) Tribute List
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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
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Beauty Queens
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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.
Svelte but swaggering, tender yet macho — this hairy-chested torch song might be the singer’s finest vocal performance.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Besides, at Camp Svelte, there is ample peer pressure to keep Skinny Gruden — or, better yet, Healthy Gruden — motivated.
From Washington Post • Aug. 4, 2017
Svelte Ejner Larsen armchairs upholstered in a richly worn oxblood leather and an Ole Wanscher sofa gather around an Edward Wormley marble-top table.
From Architectural Digest • May 8, 2015
Svelte, smart, serene Oveta Hobby, the director, suggests: "Dock'em."
From Time Magazine Archive
Svelte Miss Jeans has undeniable charm, undulates across a stage with the grace of a super-Ina Claire.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
