debonair

or deb·o·naire, deb·on·naire

[deb-uh-nair]

adjective

courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm: a debonair gentleman.
jaunty; carefree; sprightly.

Origin of debonair

1175–1225; Middle English debone(i)re < Anglo-French; Old French debonaire, orig. phrase de bon aire of good lineage

Related formsdeb·o·nair·ly, adverbdeb·o·nair·ness, noun

Synonyms for debonair

1. urbane, suave, elegant, polished.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for debonnaire

Historical Examples of debonnaire

Yet what a change they make in the beautiful, debonnaire countenance!
Molly Bawn
Margaret Wolfe Hamilton
Ferdinand the debonnaire, the well-loved, the generator of heirs.
The Mystery of the Lost Dauphin
Emilia Pardo Bazn
Her pretty face, usually so bright and debonnaire, is pale and sad.
Mrs. Geoffrey
Duchess
General Debonnaire believed that a campaign was imminent, and prepared for it.
Penguin Island
Anatole France
He seemed to be riding through life for a fall, and rode with his chin up, gay and debonnaire.
The Isle of Unrest
Henry Seton Merriman

British Dictionary definitions for debonnaire

debonair

debonnaire

adjective (esp of a man or his manner)

suave and refined
carefree; light-hearted
courteous and cheerful; affable

Derived Formsdebonairly, 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

Word Origin and History for debonnaire

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).