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suavity

[swah-vi-tee, swav-i-]
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noun, plural suav·i·ties.
  1. a suave or smoothly agreeable quality.
  2. suavities, suave or courteous actions or manners; amenities.
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Also suave·ness.

Origin of suavity

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin suāvitās pleasantness, equivalent to suāv(is) sweet + -itās -ity

suave

[swahv]
adjective, suav·er, suav·est.
  1. (of persons or their manner, speech, etc.) smoothly agreeable or polite; agreeably or blandly urbane.
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Origin of suave

1495–1505; < French < Latin suāvis sweet
Related formssuave·ly, adverbsuave·ness, noun

Synonyms

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sophisticated, worldly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for suaveness

Historical Examples

  • Gone was the suaveness, the customary polite mockery; it was frank, open, genuinely pleasant.

    The Passing of Ku Sui

    Anthony Gilmore

  • Yet, at the same time, his mood had a charming reality—the suaveness of Andrs Escobar.

    The Bright Shawl

    Joseph Hergesheimer

  • You see, he is a particularly obnoxious specimen of his race; all suaveness, treachery, and remorseless energy.

    The Secret House

    Edgar Wallace

  • There was none of the suaveness, the delicate responsiveness of her late host at Porchester House.

    Peter Ruff and the Double Four

    E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for suaveness

suave

adjective
  1. (esp of a man) displaying smoothness and sophistication in manner or attitude; urbane
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Derived Formssuavely, adverbsuavity (ˈswɑːvɪtɪ) or suaveness, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin suāvis sweet
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for suaveness

suave

adj.

early 15c., "gracious, kindly," from Middle French suave, from Latin suavis "agreeable," from PIE root *swad- (see sweet). In reference to persons, sense of "smoothly agreeable" first recorded 1815 (in suavity).

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suavity

n.

c.1400, "pleasantness, delightfulness; kindness, gentleness," from Latin suavitas, from suavis (see suave).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper