adjective
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suave and refined
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carefree; light-hearted
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courteous and cheerful; affable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of 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”
Explanation
Someone debonair is charming or suave. They have good manners, and they probably look good, too. This French word has a fancy feel to it, and it is a fancy kind of word. Being debonair is a specific form of being charming that applies mostly to men. When you're debonair, you impress women, other men, and pretty much everyone with your manners, wit, and style. Debonair is a little bit of an old-fashioned word. Old movie stars like Cary Grant were often called debonair, but not many people are today.
Vocabulary lists containing debonair
Positive Words to Describe a Person
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Spy School
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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.
Hunt is depicted in fin-de-siècle vest and suit jacket, his debonair mustache giving him a sophisticated, almost piratical air.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
“It was a very debonair thing to do.”
From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025
Here is this ostensibly brilliant, devilishly handsome, debonair man, touting his biotech voyeurism like he’s a kid showing off a painting he made in art class.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2025
Souther, the singer and songwriter who co-wrote twangy yet debonair hits for the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt that helped define the Southern California country-rock sound of the mid-1970s, has died.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2024
His small mustache was trimmed and looked as debonair as ever.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
