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:
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
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
The documentary also features bright colors, funky music and an often jaunty tone.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
A jaunty denim hat that would look silly on pretty much anyone else.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
The jaunty bow tie she had tied around his neck earlier had vanished.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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 verisimilitude, but “The Walk” still seems like a fantasy — a throwback to an upbeat, jauntier age of filmmaking.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 30, 2015
His new film, the 12th written by Paul Laverty, has a jauntier tone.
From Time ● May 27, 2012
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
"Let me tell you," he went on, "that my name in religion is Palamone— Fra Palamone"—here his tones became lighter, as he soared from the injured benefactor's into a jauntier suit.
From The Fool Errant Being the Memoirs of Francis-Anthony Strelley, Esq., Citizen of Lucca by Maurice Henry Hewlett
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
Carl Van Vechten has the jauntiest pen that ever graced the ear of a literary gentleman.
From Interpreters by Carl Van Vechten
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.
