winsome

[ win-suhm ]

/ ˈwɪn səm /

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See synonyms for: winsome / winsomely / winsomeness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

sweetly or innocently charming; winning; engaging: a winsome smile.

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Origin of winsome

First recorded before 900; Middle English winsom, Old English wynsum, equivalent to wyn(n) “joy” (see wish) + -sum -some¹

OTHER WORDS FROM winsome

win·some·ly, adverbwin·some·ness, nounun·win·some, adjective

Words nearby winsome

win on points, win out, win over, Winslet, Winslow, winsome, win some, lose some, Winsor, Winstanley, Winston, Winston-Salem

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use winsome in a sentence

However, if the public allows Mulaney to reinvent himself, to have a significant say in the next iteration of his collectively constructed public persona, it probably won’t be as a winsome newborn babe in the woods.
John Mulaney was performing a role all along|Aja Romano|September 10, 2021|Vox
Hopeful and winsome, it’s a deceptively simple show, but one that’s leading a conversation about how and under what conditions outsiders are able to speak for themselves.
The 10 best TV shows from the first half of 2021|Inkoo Kang|July 1, 2021|Washington Post
The search for love lands the protagonists of two new winsome comedies in some unlikely pockets of London.
Rom-com ‘Starstruck’ and coming-of-age comedy ‘We Are Lady Parts’ are this month’s hidden TV gems|Inkoo Kang|June 16, 2021|Washington Post
This woman, the story’s chief human character—there’s also a marvelous, winsome canine—is played by Tilda Swinton, who molds the text into an invisible yet tactile sculpture, a shape in the air that speaks of wordless insecurities and fears.
The Best Movies of 2021 So Far|Stephanie Zacharek|May 25, 2021|Time

John Burningham’s winsome illustrations have never looked so winsome.
Why read what everyone else is reading? A guide to this season’s hidden gems.|Michael Dirda|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
With her open Midwestern face and winsome smile, it was easy for her to get into conversations.
Spies, Lies, and Rape in the Air Force: An Undercover Agent's Story|Jacob Siegel|March 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Winsome is what the GOP is scrambling for these days, and on that Rubio delivered.
Marco Rubio Winsome in Response to Obama, Rand Paul Mostly Feisty|Michelle Cottle|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He looked less nervous than Rubio, but also far less winsome.
Marco Rubio Winsome in Response to Obama, Rand Paul Mostly Feisty|Michelle Cottle|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When she showed up in the pages of newspapers across the country this week, she looked utterly winsome and holy.
Kateri Tekakwitha: First Indigenous Saint's Story|Bill Donahue|December 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Somewhere, way down in the depths of her soul, there was a little hurt as the winsome pair sped along the far dim road.
Maid Sally|Harriet A. Cheever
And beside her winsome face I saw, in my mind's eye, the Princess's, too—but only for an instant.
The Colonel of the Red Huzzars|John Reed Scott
Marjorie pushed the little coach, while Gladys danced alongside, talking to the winsome baby.
Marjorie's Busy Days|Carolyn Wells
"Winsome indeed," replied Beladon, pointing upward to where the queen sat in state on the wall amidst her people.
Sarchedon|G. J. (George John) Whyte-Melville
And it is in their friendship—in their kind and tender words and courteous deeds, and winsome ways, that I most truly live.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862|Various

British Dictionary definitions for winsome

winsome

/ (ˈwɪnsəm) /

adjective

charming; winning; engaginga winsome smile

Derived forms of winsome

winsomely, adverbwinsomeness, noun

Word Origin for winsome

Old English wynsum, from wynn joy (related to Old High German wunnia, German Wonne) + -sum -some 1

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

winsome

Origin of winsome

OTHER WORDS FROM winsome

Words nearby winsome

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How to use winsome in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for winsome

Derived forms of winsome

Word Origin for winsome