elegant
[ el-i-guhnt ]
/ ˈɛl ɪ gənt /
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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Nearby words
Origin of elegant
Related forms
Can be confusedelegant eloquent
Synonym study
1. See fine1.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for elegant
British Dictionary definitions for elegant
elegant
/ (ˈɛlɪɡənt) /
adjective
tasteful in dress, style, or design
dignified and graceful in appearance, behaviour, etc
cleverly simple; ingeniousan elegant solution to a problem
Derived Formselegantly, 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
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for elegant
elegant
late 15c., from Middle French élégant (15c.), from Latin elegantem (nominative elegans) "choice, fine, tasteful," collateral form of present participle of eligere "select with care, choose." Elegans was originally a term of reproach, "dainty, fastidious;" the notion of "tastefully refined" emerged in classical Latin. Related: Elegantly.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper