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
- jauntily adverb
- jauntiness noun
- unjaunty adjective
Etymology
Origin of jaunty
First recorded in 1655–65; earlier jentee, juntee, from French gentil “noble, gentle” ( genteel ), with ending taken as -y 1
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.
The jaunty wool cap pulled over her honey-brown hair may be her nod to both the cold winter weather and more conservative ways.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026
The pop star achieved the feat with her single XMAS, an irrepressibly jaunty anthem about "the presents underneath the tree" and kissing someone special "out in the snow".
From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025
In another cast, opposite the less effective Isaac Hernández, Léa Fleytoux played the ballet’s jaunty interloper with insouciance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025
Yet there is also a streak of unpredictability in his work that perhaps leads to “Caught Stealing,” which promises to be a freewheeling, downright jaunty caper film.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2025
“Your appendix is no good,” the Englishman declared with jaunty authority.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
