suave
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- suavely adverb
- suaveness noun
- suavity noun
Etymology
Origin of suave
1495–1505; < French < Latin suāvis sweet
Explanation
To be suave is to be smooth, polite, and a little bit cool. Men can be suave and debonair, especially the ones riding horses on the covers of romance novels. Suave is from the Latin word suavis which means "agreeable." To be suave is still to be agreeable — a suave person knows how to work the room, and you might want to appear suave and sophisticated when you meet your sweetie's parents. Although it's an old fashioned compliment, suave has morphed into something meaning a little bit cheesy.
Vocabulary lists containing suave
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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The Odyssey
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The Catcher in the Rye
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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.
"I just love the quicksilver delivery and suave flamboyance of Coward, it's delightful to play."
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
His unnamed, unrefined spy who liked to cook was in stark relief to the suave man’s man that was James Bond and an uncomfortable sight for some of the producers of the film adaptation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
In addition, Mr. Denton’s delivery ranges from pugnacious to hostile and in contrast to all the suave vampires around him, Guy is a consistently unpleasant human.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
Fast forward 2½ decades, and “The Waterfront” features a suave, queer character named Shawn who gets a job as a bartender at the Buckleys’ seafood restaurant.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2025
But suave comrades from his suburban youth come by to shake hands, as if he had never left their silver midst.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
