jaunty
Americanadjective
-
easy and sprightly in manner or bearing.
to walk with a jaunty step.
-
smartly trim, as clothing.
a jaunty hat.
adjective
-
sprightly, self-confident, and cheerful; brisk
a jaunty step
-
smart; trim
a jaunty hat
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jaunty
First recorded in 1655–65; earlier jentee, juntee, from French gentil “noble, gentle” ( see genteel), with ending taken as -y 1
Explanation
Jaunty combines ideas such as cheerful, spiffy, upbeat, and natty into one delightfully economical adjective that means all of those things at once! A jaunty hat is one that's stylish and cheerful at the same time, a quality that can be accentuated if the person wears it in a jaunty fashion, perhaps off to the side or over one eye. Playing the part of a jaunty person is easy if you're feeling upbeat and chipper and want the world to know it. Elves are often jaunty in their own way. Sporting their spiffy outfits and featuring that trademark cheerful spring in their step. The fact they always seem so lively and eager to chat only increases the jaunty impression they make. One can't be blamed for wanting to take a jaunt with the jaunty little guys.
Vocabulary lists containing jaunty
The Giver
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Positive Words to Describe a Person
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Tuck Everlasting
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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.
See Examples For:
In 1938, he brought a jaunty brio to “The Adventures of Robin Hood” that forever defined the character.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
My brothers were particularly fond of one wooden ewe mounted on wheels, which gave her the jaunty appearance of a sheep who had recently discovered skateboarding.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
Erling Haaland stood on the pitch in Dallas, a goofy grin across his face and a Viking helmet atop his head at a jaunty angle.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
An hour before the climb, I arrive at the Zimmerman Bandstand, where a troupe wearing Navy whites plays jaunty tunes.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Earlier that day, dressing in his own dwelling, he had practiced the kind of jaunty, self-assured walk that he hoped he could make to the stage when his turn came.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
Hnath creates his own universe, and the design choices should reflect this wonderland quality to a jauntier degree.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025
It may reenact a true story with gasp-inducing digital verisimilitude, but “The Walk” still seems like a fantasy — a throwback to an upbeat, jauntier age of filmmaking.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 8, 2015
The new Peter, unhaunted and largely conscience-free, is Indy plus Han Solo; and Guardians is a jauntier, far brattier Star Wars.
From Time ● Aug. 1, 2014
The Austrian baritone Florian Boesch and the pianist Roger Vignoles offer a gnarlier, angrier “Edward” and a jauntier “Wandelnde Glocke” on “Loewe: Songs and Ballads,” another Hyperion disc.
From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2012
"Yours are shorter and jauntier than mine, Jane," she argued.
From Jane Allen, Junior by Edith Bancroft
That “Going Shopping” is the album’s jauntiest cut — with a music video that restages Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al,” no less — only sharpens the critique.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The distinct period setting and sleek, angular design of the first “Incredibles,” with its Midcentury Modern home furnishings and retro-futuristic architecture, made it the jauntiest, most American of Pixar masterworks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2018
American insouciance melts Russian sanctimony in Arthur Freed’s 1957 production “Silk Stockings,” the jauntiest of Cold War movies.
From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2016
On the pitch at least, Euro 2012 has been the jauntiest of tournaments so far and we could be in for a cracker tonight too.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 15, 2012
I began with her head, and secured the jauntiest little hat with feathers that I could find, not without a misgiving that it would ultimately be consigned to the flames.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 15, No. 86, February, 1875 by Various
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