panache
Americannoun
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a grand or flamboyant manner; verve; style; flair.
The actor who would play Cyrano must have panache.
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an ornamental plume of feathers, tassels, or the like, especially one worn on a helmet or cap.
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Architecture. the surface of a pendentive.
noun
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a dashing manner; style; swagger
he rides with panache
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a feathered plume on a helmet
Etymology
Origin of panache
First recorded in 1545–55; variant (after French ) of pennache, from Middle French, from early Italian pennachio, from Late Latin pinnāculum, diminutive of pinna “wing”; identical in form with pinnāculum “roof gable, peak”; see pinnacle
Explanation
To have panache is to have a stylish flair. You might wear your giant polka-dotted scarf with great panache. Panache comes from the Latin word pinnaculum, which means “small wing” or “tuft of feathers.” When you decorate yourself with a flourish, have an elegant appearance, or do something with style, you are said to have panache. You might wear your beret with new-found panache. Your aunt Milly may throw a party with unmatched panache. Or your brother's ability to turn a phrase may show an uncommon panache.
Vocabulary lists containing panache
Into the Wild
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "P"
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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.
A swath of disaffected progressives started tuning in to his daily marathon livestreams, where Piker riffs on the latest batch of headlines with a trademark off-the-cuff panache.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026
It is hard to imagine any book rendering this scene more vividly than the cinematic version, but Mr. Levin has managed the task with panache.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Later, when Bond is whisked to Vietnam, the orchestra swells with suave panache, immersing you in the action before 007 has even uttered a quip.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
The silent-movie panache of Barrie Kosky’s production, which opened Saturday night at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and runs through June 21, is on its way to becoming a perennial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
It spoke to Lefty of jazz-age frivolity, gin cocktails, cigarette girls; it made him slick his hair back with panache . . . while, out in the yard, Desdemona heard the singing and reacted differently.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
