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elegant

[ el-i-guhnt ]
/ ĖˆÉ›l ÉŖ gənt /
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See synonyms for: elegant / elegantly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
tastefully fine or luxurious in dress, style, design, etc.: elegant furnishings.
gracefully refined and dignified, as in tastes, habits, or literary style: an elegant young gentleman; an elegant prosodist.
graceful in form or movement: an elegant wave of the hand.
appropriate to refined taste: a man devoted to elegant pursuits.
excellent; fine; superior: an absolutely elegant wine.
(of scientific, technical, or mathematical theories, solutions, etc.) gracefully concise and simple; admirably succinct.
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Origin of elegant

First recorded in 1400–50; Late Middle English (from Middle French ), from Latin ēlegant- (stem of ēlegāns ) ā€œtasteful, choice,ā€ equivalent to ēleg- (akin to ēlig- ā€œselectā€) + -ant- a suffix forming adjectives from verbs; originally the present participle of ēlegāre (unattested); see origin at elect, -ant

synonym study for elegant

1. See fine1.

OTHER WORDS FROM elegant

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH elegant

elegant , eloquent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use elegant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for elegant

elegant
/ (ĖˆÉ›lɪɔənt) /

adjective
tasteful in dress, style, or design
dignified and graceful in appearance, behaviour, etc
cleverly simple; ingeniousan elegant solution to a problem

Derived forms of elegant

elegantly, adverb

Word Origin for elegant

C16: from Latin ēlegāns tasteful, related to ēligere to select; see elect
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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