winsome
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unwinsome adjective
- winsomely adverb
- winsomeness noun
Etymology
Origin of winsome
First recorded before 900; Middle English winsom, Old English wynsum, equivalent to wyn(n) “joy” ( wish ) + -sum -some 1
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.
Like Camille and her winsome wooden chair, it’s easy to see something striking and convince ourselves that having it will change our lives and make everything easier.
From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026
Astute readers ages 3 to 6 will quickly observe that the book’s winsome cat is initially missing hers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
Eden is a complicated mix of independence — she runs her own seemingly thriving business — and winsome but deep-seated neediness.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2024
The young actors are winsome but inexperienced, too often forced to wrangle improbably precocious turns of phrase.
From New York Times • Mar. 21, 2024
“Mommy,” she said, in that willful, winsome, half-whine of hers, triumphantly smiling at having caught her parents in an intimate pose, “the spiders are still crawling all around.”
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
