chic
Americanadjective
noun
-
style and elegance, especially in dress.
Paris clothes have such chic.
-
stylishness; modishness.
the chic of the firstnighters.
-
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.
adjective
noun
-
stylishness, esp in dress; modishness; fashionable good taste
-
any of various fashion movements based on a particular lifestyle
radical chic
geek chic
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.
Since then, the choreographer Lucinda Childs, veteran of “Einstein on the Beach,” has staged a stunningly chic “Akhnaten” in Nice, France, that is available on YouTube.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 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
Lenses and headlights point toward a chic Ms. Ekland who, dressed in white, rides a Vespa on its way out of Kirkland’s frame.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
Small and chummy, the decor was thrift-store chic, and the food was outstanding.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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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.