elfin
Americanadjective
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of or like an elf.
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small and charmingly spritely, merry, or mischievous.
noun
adjective
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of, relating to, or like an elf or elves
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small, delicate, and charming
Etymology
Origin of elfin
1560–70; alteration of Middle English elven elf, Old English elfen, ælfen nymph, equivalent to ælf elf + -en feminine suffix (cognate with German -in ); ælf cognate with German Alp nightmare, puck, Old Norse alfr elf
Explanation
Someone who's tiny and a bit fragile can be described as elfin. Your grandmother might be especially proud of her little elfin feet. Small people and children are often described as having elfin faces, particularly if there's a mischievous spark in their eyes. If your friend's ears are unusually petite — and rather adorable — you can describe them as elfin. The word clearly comes from elf, and it's sometimes used to mean "relating to elves," though it more commonly means "tiny like an elf." Edmund Spenser first used the word elfin in his 1590 epic poem, "The Faerie Queene."
Vocabulary lists containing elfin
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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.
With her bleach-blond punk haircut, puckish grin and bright elfin eyes, she could have come to the company’s heavily guarded San Francisco headquarters straight from a Berlin rave, via an old forest road in Middle-earth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Soon I was navigating the reading nooks and chef’s kitchens of an elfin cottage, a gothic coastal A-frame, a cozy “loch house” in the Scottish Highlands.
From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 2024
Recognizable by her shaved head and elfin features, O’Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
He took part in a charity fundraiser in full scuba kit and had an elfin hand from one of his team.
From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2022
Perhaps for the first time, Werner sees in his teacher’s thinning blond hair, in his black nostrils, in his small, almost elfin ears, something pitiless and inhuman, something determined only to survive.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
