quaint

American  

[kweynt] / kweɪnt /

adjective

quainter, quaintest

1. having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm; oddly picturesque.

   a quaint old house.

   Synonyms:

   archaic, antiquated

2. strange, peculiar, or unusual in an interesting, pleasing, or amusing way.

   a quaint sense of humor.

   Synonyms:

   uncommon, curious

   Antonyms:

   ordinary

3. skillfully or cleverly made.

4. Obsolete. wise; skilled.

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quaint British  

/ kweɪnt /

adjective

1. attractively unusual, esp in an old-fashioned style

   a quaint village

2. odd, peculiar, or inappropriate

   a quaint sense of duty

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Other Word Forms

• quaintly
  adverb
• quaintness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of quaint

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English queinte, from Old French, variant of cointe “clever, pleasing,” from Latin cognitus “learned, known,” past participle of cognōscere “to learn, become acquainted”; see cognition

Explanation

Quaint means strange and unusual in an old-fashioned and charming way. It's a word you'd use to describe a little store that sells tea cozies and antique tea services, or your grandmother's habit of calling the radio the "wireless." There is a commonly used sarcastic sense of quaint — when something is run down or shabby and you're trying to say something positive, you might substitute "How...quaint" for "How...interesting." In Middle English, this adjective meant "clever" or "cunning." Its origin is Old French queinte, cointe, from Latin cognitus "known," from cognōscere "to learn."

Example Sentences

Based on Leonie Swann’s 2005 novel “Three Bags Full,” the story takes places in a quaint British town, where George loves his flock so ardently that he reads them murder-mystery stories every evening.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Placed against other modern threats posed by media consolidation, the notion of whether dyeing iconic black-and-white movies heralded the beginning of cinema’s end seems quaint.

From Salon • May 8, 2026

Instead, in a sign of the times that seems impossibly quaint in the harsh light of 2026, she issued a somber mea culpa.

From Slate • May 6, 2026

While the rest of the country scrambles to make a living in a world upended by the digital revolution, its creators revel in lifestyles that make the giddy heights of Versailles appear quaint.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

She canted her head as if it was all so quaint.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• bizarre
• curious
• fanciful
• funny
• laughable
• peculiar
• unusual
• weird
• whimsical