debonair

or deb·o·naire, deb·on·naire

[ deb-uh-nair ]

/ ˌdɛb əˈnɛər /

adjective

courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm: a debonair gentleman.

jaunty; carefree; sprightly.

Nearby words

Origin of debonair

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

SYNONYMS FOR debonair

1. urbane, suave, elegant, polished.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for 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
Handsome, dashing, debonnaire, he approaches a field of battle as a light-hearted schoolboy approaches a football field.
The Great Boer War|Arthur Conan Doyle
But the aspects of the wearers of warlike accoutrements are debonnaire and smiling, as of revellers on a holiday of peace.
The Parisians, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Yet here she was, debonnaire and fresh and perfectly appointed—and ah, so terribly neat and spectacularly finessed!
You Never Know Your Luck, Complete|Gilbert Parker

British Dictionary definitions for debonnaire

debonair

debonnaire

/ (ˌdɛbəˈnɛə) /

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).