debonair
or deb·o·naire, deb·on·naire
[deb-uh-nair]
- courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm: a debonair gentleman.
- jaunty; carefree; sprightly.
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Origin of debonair
1175–1225; Middle English debone(i)re < Anglo-French; Old French debonaire, orig. phrase de bon aire of good lineage
Synonyms
See more synonyms for debonair on Thesaurus.com1. urbane, suave, elegant, polished.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for debonair
Contemporary Examples
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 FeyAndrew Romano
April 14, 2014
Vaunted Mad Men star Jon Hamm is the debonair catalyst for “Emotions With Jon Hamm” and “Sad Don Draper.”
Neal is the charming and debonair criminal I created for the show, played brilliantly by Matt Bomer.
Cary Grant at home was more or less the same man the public saw in movies: debonair, decent, and funny.
Matthew, like your co-star Hugh Grant in this movie, possesses a kind of debonair diffidence.
Historical Examples
I see him smiling and debonair at the minute when I am in a ferment.
The Conquest of FearBasil King
Then he followed Ike into the cabin, debonair and apparently unconcerned.
Louisiana LouWilliam West Winter
Robb turned away in his cheerful, debonair manner and rode off.
The Hound From The NorthRidgwell Cullum
This gay, debonair Scotsman is simply worshipped by the men.
War Letters of a Public-School BoyPaul Jones.
She had been so generous, so debonair, such a gay and charming spender.
If You Touch Them They VanishGouverneur Morris
debonair
debonnaire
- suave and refined
- carefree; light-hearted
- courteous and cheerful; affable
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Word Origin
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
Word Origin and History for debonair
adj.
c.1200, "mild, gentle, kind courteous," from Old French debonaire, from de bon' aire "of good race," originally used of hawks, hence, "thoroughbred" (opposite of French demalaire). Used in Middle English to mean "docile, courteous," it became obsolete and was revived with an altered sense of "pleasant, affable" (1680s).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper