dainty
Americanadjective
-
of delicate beauty; exquisite.
a dainty lace handkerchief.
- Synonyms:
- fine
-
pleasing to the taste and, often, temptingly served or delicate; delicious.
dainty pastries.
- Synonyms:
- scrumptious, mouth-watering, delectable, tender
-
of delicate discrimination or taste; particular.
a dainty eater.
-
overly particular; finicky; fastidious.
- Synonyms:
- overnice
noun
adjective
-
delicate or elegant
a dainty teacup
-
pleasing to the taste; choice; delicious
a dainty morsel
-
refined, esp excessively genteel; fastidious
noun
Related Words
See delicate. See particular.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dainty
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English noun deinte, dainte, dente “worthiness, happiness, delicacy,” from Anglo-French deinte, Old French deint(i)e, from Latin dignitāt- (stem of dignitās ); the adjective is derivative of the noun; see dignity
Explanation
Dainty means tiny, delicate, and lovely, so you could describe a little china tea set as dainty, and you could also call the tiny cakes on the little plates dainty. The original meaning of dainty, back in the 1300s, was "choice morsel of food," and it's still used that way to talk about a delicacy or a treat. More often, dainty is used as an adjective to describe something that's delicate and lovely in a complimentary way.
Vocabulary lists containing dainty
List 5
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"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
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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.
The Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, a climate-focused investor alliance, used this dainty phrase when it relaunched this week without mentioning its original goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
The creature lifts its head, nearly dainty in scale, and contentedly gnaws a mouthful of ferns.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2024
Foods like salad and Jell-O were seen as dainty and understood to be women's cuisine.
From Salon • Jul. 15, 2024
"There's nothing wrong with playing feminine and dainty roles if they're written very well. I think the first question is always if the writing is good, and if there's more than one dimension to them."
From BBC • May 29, 2024
Two servants present dainty skeleton keys nestled onto a velvet board.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
