elegant

adjective

el·​e·​gant ˈe-li-gənt How to pronounce elegant (audio)
Synonyms of elegant
1
: marked by elegance
elegant clothes
an elegant solution
2
: of a high grade or quality : splendid
elegant gems priced at hundreds of thousands of dollars
elegantly adverb

Synonyms of elegant

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for elegant

choice, exquisite, elegant, rare, delicate, dainty mean having qualities that appeal to a cultivated taste.

choice stresses preeminence in quality or kind.

choice fabric

exquisite implies a perfection in workmanship or design that appeals only to very sensitive taste.

an exquisite gold bracelet

elegant applies to what is rich and luxurious but restrained by good taste.

a sumptuous but elegant dining room

rare suggests an uncommon excellence.

rare beauty

delicate implies exquisiteness, subtlety, and fragility.

delicate craftsmanship

dainty sometimes carries an additional suggestion of smallness and of appeal to the eye or palate.

dainty sandwiches

Examples of elegant in a Sentence

an elegant solution to the problem the most elegant First Lady in the nation's history
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Espresso brown is a deeper, sexier take on nudes for winter, while plum makes for an elegant pedicure that feels unexpected. — Loren Savini, Allure, 26 Oct. 2026 Greens, for example, look elegant with shades of red, including pink, burgundy, and orange. — Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 26 Oct. 2026 Some of the new watchfaces are elegant, though others highlight the Edge’s big black bezels. — Victoria Song, The Verge, 26 Oct. 2026 The actress showed off the sleek layer’s versatility, pairing one style with cozy sweats at the airport and another with an elegant slip dress at Paris Fashion Week. — Melony Forcier, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for elegant

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin elegant-, elegans; akin to Latin eligere to select — more at elect

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of elegant was in the 15th century

Rhymes for elegant

See All Rhymes for elegant

Browse Nearby Words

elegancy
elegant
elegante
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Elegant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elegant. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

elegant

adjective
el·​e·​gant ˈel-i-gənt How to pronounce elegant (audio)
1
: having or showing elegance
2
: of excellent quality : splendid
elegantly adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All