Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

chic

American  
[sheek] / ʃik /

adjective

chicer, chicest

  1. attractive and fashionable; stylish.

    a chic hat.
    Synonyms:
    modish, elegant, smart

noun

  1. style and elegance, especially in dress.

    Paris clothes have such chic.

  2. stylishness; modishness.

    the chic of the firstnighters.

  3. casual and understated style, as in dress or décor, that expresses a specified trendy lifestyle or activity.

    Black-rimmed glasses bring some geek chic to your outfit.
chic British  
/ ʃiːk, ʃɪk /

adjective

  1. (esp of fashionable clothes, women, etc) stylish or elegant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. stylishness, esp in dress; modishness; fashionable good taste

  2. any of various fashion movements based on a particular lifestyle

    radical chic

    geek chic
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Pronunciation

The spelling pronunciation is considered nonstandard except when used facetiously.

Other Word Forms

  • chicly adverb
  • chicness noun
  • superchic adjective
  • ultrachic adjective

Etymology

Origin of chic

1855–60; < French < German Schick skill

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.

There were pubs before and after dinner and a chic pizza place sandwiched in between.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

The kitchen also emphasizes an open floor plan that shows off their chic living area, which boasts an elegant marble fireplace.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

In Kramer’s film, Juliette Lewis plays Camille, an absurdly chic yet financially strapped woman preoccupied with keeping up appearances for no reason other than that it’s what’s expected of her.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026

Downtown Munich is best-known for chic shops and flashy fast cars but right now its streets are bedecked with posters advertising next generation drones.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

It was chic to have an actual living person you could order around.

From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson

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.