exquisite

[ik-skwiz-it, ek-skwi-zit]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR exquisite ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of special beauty or charm, or rare and appealing excellence, as a face, a flower, coloring, music, or poetry.

extraordinarily fine or admirable; consummate: exquisite weather.

intense; acute, or keen, as pleasure or pain.

of rare excellence of production or execution, as works of art or workmanship: the exquisite statues of the Renaissance.

keenly or delicately sensitive or responsive: an exquisite ear for music; an exquisite sensibility.

of particular refinement or elegance, as taste, manners, etc., or persons.

carefully sought out, chosen, ascertained, devised, etc.

noun

Archaic. a person, especially a man, who is excessively concerned about clothes, grooming, etc.; dandy; coxcomb.

Origin of exquisite

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin exquīsītus meticulous, chosen with care, originally past participle of exquīrere to ask about, examine, equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + -quīrere, combining form of quaerere to seek

Related formsex·quis·ite·ly, adverbex·quis·ite·ness, nouno·ver·ex·quis·ite, adjectivesu·per·ex·qui·site, adjectivesu·per·ex·qui·site·ly, adverbsu·per·ex·qui·site·ness, noun

Synonyms for exquisite

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR exquisite ON THESAURUS.COM

1. dainty, beautiful, elegant, rare. 2. perfect, matchless. 3. poignant. 4. select, choice, precious. 6. discriminating.

Synonym study

1. See delicate. 2. See fine¹

Antonyms for exquisite

1. gross. 2. ordinary. 3. dull.

Pronunciation note

The pronunciation of exquisite has undergone a rapid change from

[ek-skwi-zit] /ˈɛk skwɪ zɪt/ to

[ik-skwiz-it] /ɪkˈskwɪz ɪt/, with stress shifting to the second syllable. The newer pronunciation is still criticized by some, but is now more common in both the U.S. and England, and many younger educated speakers are not even aware of the older one. See harass.

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

Related Words for exquisitely

correctly, wonderfully, admirably, flawlessly, impeccably, exquisitely, superbly, supremely, handsomely, gracefully, splendidly, magnificently, gorgeously, sublimely, appealingly, delightfully, elegantly, seductively, easily, delicately

Examples from the Web for exquisitely

Contemporary Examples of exquisitely

He was highly perceptive and exquisitely sensitive to everything around him.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor
S. C. Gwynne
November 29, 2014
The former is an exquisitely calibrated product of American liberalism, ever attentive to such notions as “inclusiveness.”
Mr. Politically Correct Obama, Meet Your Opposite, India’s Mr. Modi
Tunku Varadarajan
May 17, 2014
Any ad invoking that tragedy would have to be exquisitely sensitive and carefully crafted.
Send In Bill Clinton to Save the Democratic Midterm Campaign
Robert Shrum
April 14, 2014
I had watched her shoot up into a slender but exquisitely formed woman from a frail, awkward child.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
Her tender face bent in compassion over a marble form so exquisitely pure that I knelt and signed myself.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014

Historical Examples of exquisitely

My dear, don't fail to try them, they're exquisitely perfect!
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
All was now exquisitely restful, instinct with unlimited hope.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
The form of her face was exquisitely lovely, her complexion radiant.
Beaux and Belles of England
Mary Robinson
It was exquisitely polished, and cased in the interior with silver.
Vivian Grey
Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli
The weather was exquisitely still, the sky absolutely clear.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for exquisitely

exquisite

adjective

possessing qualities of unusual delicacy and fine craftsmanshipjewels in an exquisite setting

extremely beautiful and pleasingan exquisite face

outstanding or excellentan exquisite victory

sensitive; discriminatingexquisite taste

fastidious and refined

intense or sharp in feelingexquisite pleasure; exquisite pain

noun

obsolete a dandy

Derived Formsexquisitely, adverbexquisiteness, noun

Word Origin for exquisite

C15: from Latin exquīsītus excellent, from exquīrere to search out, from quaerere to seek

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 exquisitely

exquisite

adj.

early 15c., "carefully selected," from Latin exquisitus "carefully sought out," thus, "choice," from past participle of exquirere "search out thoroughly," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + quaerere "to seek" (see query (v.)).

Of any thing (good or bad, torture as well as art) brought to a highly wrought condition, sometimes shading into disapproval. A vogue word 15c.-18c., given wide extensions of meaning, none of which survives. The main modern sense of "of consummate and delightful excellence" is first attested 1579, in Lyly's "Euphues." Related: Exquisitely; exquisiteness. The noun meaning "a dandy, fop" is from 1819.

exquisitely in Medicine

exquisite

[ĕk′skwĭ-zĭt, ĭk-skwĭz′ĭt]

n.

Extremely intense, keen, or sharp. Used of pain or tenderness.