swank
1 Americannoun
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dashing smartness, as in dress or appearance; style.
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a swagger.
adjective
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stylish or elegant.
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pretentiously stylish.
verb (used without object)
verb
verb
noun
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Also called: swankpot. a swaggering or conceited person
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elegance or style, esp of a showy kind
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swagger; ostentation
adjective
Etymology
Origin of swank
1800–10; compare Scots swank lively, perhaps ultimately representing back formation from Old English swancor lithe; akin to Middle Dutch swanc supple, Middle High German swanken to sway
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.
American Airlines introduced souped-up suites last year and Delta’s going all-in on its swank Delta One lounges.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
EVANSTON, Ill.— Bryan and Kay Keenan just paid $2 million for a 1,600-square-foot apartment in The Mather, a swank retirement community here.
From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025
History, here, ultimately overwhelms the new staging in a swank contemporary environment.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2025
The press conference was held at the Dorchester’s swank Hotel Eden, located just off Rome’s Via Veneto.
From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024
Nailer studied the swank carefully, trying to divine if she was a liar.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
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.
