debonair

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English debone(i)re, from Anglo-French; Old French debonaire; the original phrase was de bon aire “of good lineage”

OTHER WORDS FROM debonair

deb·o·nair·ly, adverbdeb·o·nair·ness, noun

Words nearby debonair

debitage, debit card, debitor, debit policy, déboîté, debonair, debone, de bonis non administratis, Deborah, deboss, debouch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use debonair in a sentence

Their debonair, celebratory approach to the genre was tailor-made for mass consumption, allowing them to churn out hit after hit.
How DMX's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot Changed the Course of Hip-Hop Forever|Andrew R. Chow|April 9, 2021|Time
For seven years now, Jon Hamm's debonair ad exec has been the existential question mark at the center of the series.
Jon Hamm on the Final Season of ‘Mad Men’ and the Advice He Got From Bryan Cranston and Tina Fey|Andrew Romano|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vaunted Mad Men star Jon Hamm is the debonair catalyst for “Emotions With Jon Hamm” and “Sad Don Draper.”
‘Sherlock’ Star Benedict Cumberbatch’s Polarizing ‘Cumberbitches’|Kevin Fallon|October 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Neal is the charming and debonair criminal I created for the show, played brilliantly by Matt Bomer.
‘White Collar’ Creator Jeff Eastin: My Biggest Con|Jeff Eastin|July 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Being a loudmouth, camera-loving, wise-cracking New York Jew who made Chuck Schumer appear debonair was a good start.
Weiner’s Well-Timed Rehab|Eric Alterman|June 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Cary Grant at home was more or less the same man the public saw in movies: debonair, decent, and funny.
Remembering My Father, Cary Grant|Malcolm Jones|May 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST
His gay debonair manner and his ready apology for his own blunder pleased Mrs. Calvert.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
He usually wore his pale-grey felt hat at a slight angle, and had the air of the easy-going adventurer, debonair and unscrupulous.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux
Stella always remained cool and exasperatingly debonair under his rebukes, whereas he felt himself growing hot and awkward.
Sinister Street, vol. 1|Compton Mackenzie
The Westerner, answering the questions of his cousin, was at his debonair best.
The Highgrader|William MacLeod Raine
The debonair lightness of the question could not rob it of its significance.
The Highgrader|William MacLeod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for debonair

debonair

debonnaire

/ (ˌdɛbəˈnɛə) /

adjective (esp of a man or his manner)

suave and refined

carefree; light-hearted

courteous and cheerful; affable

Derived forms of debonair

debonairly, adverbdebonairness, noun

Word Origin for debonair

C13: from Old French debonaire, from de bon aire having a good disposition

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

debonair

OTHER WORDS FOR debonair

Origin of debonair

OTHER WORDS FROM debonair

Words nearby debonair

Words related to debonair

How to use debonair in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for debonair

debonnaire

Derived forms of debonair

Word Origin for debonair