quaintness

American  

[kwaynt-nis] / ˈkweɪnt nɪs /

noun

1. the quality of being quaint.

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Explanation

Quaintness is a quality of being sweetly old-fashioned and a little bit unusual. Although you find them a little creepy, you also appreciate the quaintness of the dolls in your grandma's collection. Think of a charming bed and breakfast decorated in a whimsical style — its quaintness is what's special about it, setting it apart from sleek, modern hotel rooms. There's often a touch of eccentricity in quaintness, like the curious quaintness of a neighbor whose house is lit with oil lamps and who wears a long, flowing cape. The original meaning of quaintness, "proudness or cunning," is obsolete.

Example Sentences

Across America, coastal towns convey a unique combination of quaintness and working harbor grit.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 6, 2023

Celebration promised a throwback quaintness, the way towns allegedly were.

From Salon • May 2, 2023

But as the many appreciations that marked her death on Tuesday made clear, Angela Lansbury was in a class by herself, and “Murder, She Wrote” was, all that quaintness notwithstanding, revolutionary.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2022

So thoroughly intoxicated by the quaintness, I scanned the street for oncoming cars, then whipped my handlebars into a U-turn, hoping to score for Instagram.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2021

This is what I have, coffee and pie, sitting in one of the purple booths, watching young people exclaim over what they think is the quaintness of the past.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood