elegantel‧e‧gant /ˈeləɡənt/ ●●○ adjective 
a tall, elegant young woman You can dine in elegant surroundings.2an idea or a plan that is elegant is very intelligent yet simple: an elegant solution to the problem—elegantly adverb—elegance noun [uncountable]: the style and elegance of the designs
WORD ORIGINelegant
Origin:
1400-1500 French, Latin elegans ‘specially chosen as being of good quality’, from eligere; ➔ ELECT1EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- elegant handwriting
- All the dancers looked so elegant as they moved slowly round the room.
- an elegant rosewood dining table
- an elegant solution
- An elegant young woman sat at the next table, sipping a cocktail.
- He was a tall, elegant man, silver-haired and beautifully dressed.
- Her good looks and confident, elegant manner made her the centre of attention.
- Jody manages to look elegant, even in a simple pantsuit.
- She was wearing an elegant black suit.
- The elegant figure of Mr Reed appeared in the doorway.
- The house was elegant and well kept.
- The plain black dress set off her elegant neck.
- Vienna is a city of grand public buildings and elegant private ones.
- We first met him at an elegant hotel in the uptown district of Manhattan.
- Furnished to a very high standard, large elegant Restaurant with extensive menus.
- Ludens also noticed her small feet, clad in expensive discreetly elegant shoes.
- My first impression of the hull above my head was how elegant and how travel-worn it looked.
- She had captured his father by promising an elegant uncluttered lifestyle very different from the neglected unhappy home he had come from.
- She has to be funny, touching and innately elegant.
- She was wearing her favourite yellow linen dress and pretty cream high-heeled shoes with Jim's pearls gleaming against her elegant neck.
- Tilney arrives with his sister, a more reserved and elegant girl than Isabella.
THESAURUSplace/thing etc
used to describe something that looks, feels, sounds etc so good that it gives you a lot of pleasure: · a beautiful tropical beach· a beautiful song· The weather was beautiful.
spoken used when saying that something looks, feels, or sounds very nice: · What a lovely day!· a lovely voice· a lovely perfume
pleasant to look at – often used about things that are not big or impressive: · a pretty little pink dress· a pretty village
pleasant to look at. Attractive sounds more formal than pretty: · an attractive white-painted cottage with green shutters· an attractive city
very big, beautiful, and impressive – used about buildings, objects, and views: · The Taj Mahal always looks magnificent.· a magnificent Persian carpet· There were magnificent views over the old city.
written pleasant to look at – used in written descriptions of towns, buildings, and places: · the picturesque harbour town of Castleton· Regensburg Cathedral occupies a picturesque position on the River Danube in Bavaria.
extremely beautiful and impressive – used especially about views: · All around is a stunning view of Cape Town.· The landscape is breathtaking.
used to describe things that have very beautiful small details, especially things that have been made with a lot of skill: · an exquisite piece of jewellery· an exquisite flower· an exquisite picture of a bird of paradise
designed in a way that looks very attractive and has a lot of style: · an elegant Neo-Classical building· a long and elegant staircase
Longman Language Activatorwoman use this about a woman who is extremely attractive in a way that is fairly unusual and special, so that people notice and admire her: · Standing in the doorway was a beautiful woman with long black hair and green eyes.· Karen was even more beautiful than I had remembered.· She has a beautiful smile.· You look beautiful tonight.
use this about a woman who is nice to look at and has an attractive face and body: · Ginny was tall and good-looking.· A good-looking young woman in a business suit came into the room.· She seems to get better-looking the older she gets.
use this about a young woman or girl who has an attractive face and is good-looking, but not in an unusual way: · Maureen's really pretty, isn't she?· A pretty girl like you should have a boyfriend.· She has a pretty face.· Doesn't she look pretty with her hair up?
use this about a woman who is good-looking, especially in a way that makes people sexually interested in her: · Frances was a charming and attractive girl.· Bob's wife is a very attractive womanfind somebody attractive: · A lot of men find plump women attractive.
especially spoken use this about a woman who looks pleasant and friendly but is not extremely pretty: · My mother was always a nice-looking woman.
especially American, spoken use this about a girl or young woman who is pretty and sexually attractive: · Do you like Jill Anderson? I think she's cute!· Heidi is the cutest girl in my class.
especially spoken use this to emphasize that a woman is extremely attractive, in a sexual way: · That woman on "Baywatch" - I think she's gorgeous.· You look absolutely gorgeous in that dress!
use this about a woman who looks like a beautiful actress or as if she is very rich, and has an attractive body and wears expensive clothes: · The picture showed a glamorous young woman sitting in a sports car.· glamorous Hollywood movie stars of the 1950s
use this about a woman who is extremely beautiful and sexually attractive, in a way that everyone notices and admires: · Men always stared when she looked good, and today she was stunning.· Mother came out of her room, looking stunning in her silk dressing gown.
use this about a woman who is tall and attractive, and wears clothes that are simple but have a lot of good style: · An elegant young woman sat at the next table, sipping a cocktail.· Jody manages to look elegant, even in a simple pantsuit.
use this about a woman who is very attractive, especially because she has a particular feature that is beautiful and unusual: · Even at 75, Alice is still a striking woman.· Celia had striking brown eyes like some Russian icon.· With her mass of black hair and pale skin she looked very striking.
especially British if a woman looks lovely , she looks very attractive: · He told his wife that evening that she had never looked lovelier.· Claire was young and lovely, but rather shy.
very good-looking and sexually attractive - used especially in humorous descriptions: · The farmer had three daughters, all three blonde and ravishing.· Cynthia looked positively ravishing this evening.
written a very beautiful woman: · In her youth she had been a woman of great beauty.
thing/building also lovely especially British use this about a thing or building that looks extremely good, and gives you a feeling of pleasure: · "Do you like the house?" "Like it? It's beautiful!"· Thanks for the flowers - they're lovely!· This is one of Europe's loveliest churches.
use this about an object that is small and delicate, or things in your home such as curtains and carpets: · The room was decorated with pretty wallpaper with yellow flowers on it.· What a pretty watch!
very beautiful and very impressive - use this about a large and impressive building or piece of furniture, especially an old one: · The room was dominated by a magnificent four-poster bed.· a magnificent 15th century castle
extremely beautiful and of the highest quality: · The lilies we got from the flower market were absolutely superb.· a superb collection of Chinese porcelain· In the center of the crown is a superb diamond.
especially British, spoken use this about a beautiful thing that you admire very much: · I love your dress! It's such a gorgeous colour!· The apartment had been furnished in rich, deep colors and gorgeous fabrics.
very beautiful - use this about jewellery or other things that have been designed with a lot of care and made with a lot of skill: · an exquisite handcarved ivory brooch· The sets and costumes for the dance performance were exquisite.
use this about a building, a piece of furniture, or a piece of clothing that is beautifully designed in a simple but usually expensive way: · We first met him at an elegant hotel in the uptown district of Manhattan.· an elegant rosewood dining table· She was wearing an elegant black suit.
pleasant to look at: · Kitchen utensils should be attractive as well as functional.· This attractive book is an ideal gift for any young baseball fan.
especially British pleasant to look at: · The dress was such a lovely colour, a deep blue that really suited her.· It was a lovely big house with a big garden out the back.
written something such as a building, piece of furniture, or work of art that is splendid is beautiful and impressive: · In the centre of the room was a splendid 18th century oak table.· Wealthy nobles inhabited splendid villas in the surrounding countryside.
something that is stunning is very beautiful so that everyone notices and admires it: · Rafaella wore a stunning white satin wedding gown.· Knox's metal statues are stunning.
an arrangement, design etc that is artistic looks attractive and has been done with skill and imagination: · I love your Christmas decorations - they're very artistic.· The food was presented in an artistic way.
dressed, arranged, decorated etc in a beautiful way · This is a beautifully illustrated book.· The flowers were placed in a beautifully decorated vase.· "What do you think about the garden?" "You've done it beautifully!"
in a way that is pleasant to look at: · Helen is always prettily dressed.· Marie arranged the radishes prettily on a plate.
in a way that makes something very pleasant to look at, especially in order to make people want it: · We hope to sell goods by packaging them attractively.· All her friends were younger, prettier and more attractively dressed.
in a beautiful way that is simple, but usually expensive: · Tom's mother was an elegantly dressed gray-haired woman.· The bedroom was elegantly decorated with deep-blue and gold wallpaper.
in a very delicate, careful, and beautiful way: · In the box was a pair of exquisitely shaped old earrings.· The tiny china doll was exquisitely ornate.
in a way that looks attractive and has been done with a lot of skill and imagination: · Red and blue flowers were artistically arranged to form a pattern.
graceful moving in a smooth, controlled way that is attractive to look at: · Gwyneth Paltrow is wonderful in the film, tall, graceful and elegant.· In recent years these graceful birds have been seen again in increasing numbers.· He sketched her quickly, with a few graceful strokes of his pen.
someone who is elegant dresses, behaves, and moves in a graceful and attractive way: · He was a tall, elegant man, silver-haired and beautifully dressed.· All the dancers looked so elegant as they moved slowly round the room.· Her good looks and confident, elegant manner made her the centre of attention.
written someone who has a lithe body is able to bend, stretch, and move easily - use this especially about someone who looks young, thin, and attractive: · I felt awkward among the lithe young sun-tanned girls on the beach.
effortless movements or actions are very smooth and controlled, as though they are made without any effort at all, especially because the person who makes them has a lot of skill: · She performed her dive with effortless grace.· Mark drew quickly and with confidence, in a way that looked completely effortless.
flowing movements are made gracefully and without interruption: · Steve turned, raised his arm and threw the ball, all in one flowing movement.· The cheetah's long flowing strides make it faster than any other animal on earth.
a graceful appearance or way of moving · Kim had all the grace and charm of a young woman, though she was still only a girl.· Rudolph Nureyev's skill and gracefulness made him a legend in his own lifetime.
a graceful and attractive manner or appearance: · Francesca was impressed by the beautiful house and the elegance of the guests.
a calm and very graceful way of moving your body, or of standing or sitting: · Margerie was very beautiful, with the grace and poise of a movie star.· They felt that he lacked sufficient poise and confidence for the job.
having a lot of style or elegance · The room was full of stylish furniture and expensive paintings.· She was a stylish woman, always dressed to suit the occasion.
having an attractive and graceful appearance or way of moving, dressing etc, often in a way that is expensive: · The house was elegant and well kept.· Vienna is a city of grand public buildings and elegant private ones.· The elegant figure of Mr Reed appeared in the doorway.
having a confident and expensive appearance, and showing good judgement about what is artistic and fashionable: · She was glamorous and sophisticated, but seemed a little lonely.· Nothing beats black for the classic sophisticated look.suave and sophisticated: · The suave, sophisticated 60-year-old singer is still performing and drawing crowds.
informal attractively and expensively dressed, decorated, or prepared: · Their wedding was a very classy affair.· a classy restaurant· She's smart, witty, and classy.
style/elegance · What she lacked in looks she made up for with her sensational style.· It does not really have the style and elegance of other luxury hotels.with style · If you want a cellphone with style, this is the one for you.do something in style · The Thompsons always entertain in style.go out in style (=to finish something in a way that people admire) · Whitaker went out in style, beating Pernell comfortably.
an attractive and graceful appearance or way of doing something, that is often simple but expensive: · Marlene Dietrich was once the symbol of glamour and elegance.· buildings that reflect the elegance of a bygone era
a style that is based on confidence and wealth, and that shows an intelligent judgement about what is artistic and fashionable: · The capital city was once known as the centre of European culture and sophistication.· She was acutely aware of her own lack of sophistication.
a natural ability to do things in interesting and original ways: · As a player he had a lot of flair, but it didn't help him win.· a combination of British practicality and French flairwith flair: · The room's interior was designed with taste and flair.
a confident artistic manner that makes even the simple things you do seem interesting or exciting: with panache: · She wore her clothes with typical Italian panache.have panache: · The performance didn't have the panache you expect from a chart-topping rock band.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY You can dine in elegant surroundings.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1beautiful, attractive, or graceful: You can dine in elegant surroundings.· Italian people are often admired for their elegant clothes.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· The room was as elegant as its occupant.· His playing here is, as expected, note perfect, playful, but as elegant and swinging as ever.· He could get no results as elegant as those with peas.· Well, the reality is not quite as elegant as you might want.· Its laws are as elegant as is the idea of natural selection.· It is all as elegant as it is charming.
· Madame Escoffier's son gives it a more elegant name.· The Brestowskis have tried to transform the space into a more elegant restaurant, but it isn't quite that.· The shoe should flatter the foot, making it appear narrower and more elegant than it is.· He in turn seemed to enjoy her conversation as a reminder of a more elegant and carefree prewar world.· The substantial proportion of Cabernet makes for a slightly more elegant wine, with a delicious combination of spice and blackcurrant fruit.· A more elegant and courtly preparation was quail in aspic, often served with foie gras or truMes.· A much more elegant method is to re-program the computer's operating system to remove the safeguard.· Some recipes include hard-boiled eggs and spinach, but this version is simpler and more elegant.
· The first class Regency Restaurant is one of the most elegant in Brighton and Hove.· They used the straight original as the starting point for perhaps the most elegant demonstration of photographic compositing by computer yet devised.· This has to be the most elegant and beautiful of all the tern tribe.· He was almost the most elegant man many of them had ever seen.· Constance thought the audience the most elegant crowd of people she had ever seen.· The gardens are laid out in the most elegant manner and both the paintings and furniture are surprisingly fine.· Some of the most elegant women in London come through these doors.· I went in to watch the day's most elegant event ... the private driving competition.
· She felt a small warmth of pride kindle in her. So elegant he was.· Around the main house were many smaller buildings, all white with the same red-tiled roofs that made the house so elegant.· Fair, dark, slim, plump, elegant, not so elegant.· The birch forests of Siberia, so upright, so elegant in autumn, had been broken by this winter campaign.· Do we need this old Graeco-Roman game - like Eliot's Shakespeherian rag, so elegant, so intelligent?· The fact that I had never seen my aunt looking so elegant added to my impression that I was imagining this.
· His work is always very elegant, always beautiful, but there is an element of surprise in it too.· The Hamiltonian formulation provides a very elegant and symmetrical description of mechanics.· They are quite unmistakable, and are often very elegant indeed, especially when they are perfectly circular and symmetrical.· They are not particularly high, but very elegant and their remote location makes a visit a must.· The women of Parma were very elegant.· It had strange obtuse teeth, he thought it was part of an old church clock. Very elegant tapered spoke-arms.· There must have been two dozen people there, all chattering brightly and looking very elegant.
NOUN· Tucholsky once remarked that there were people who thought that staying in an elegant hotel made them elegant themselves.· He takes the best suite in the turret of the elegant Hotel Excelsior.
· At night no light shows in the elegant houses on Srinagar's boulevards.
· He was almost the most elegant man many of them had ever seen.· A thin, elegant man with shifty eyes and a high, unpleasant voice, Wood exuded a restless, hurried air.· Then, plainly frantic to escape the elegant man, he punched the boat's engines into life.
· Furnished to a very high standard, large elegant Restaurant with extensive menus.· The Brestowskis have tried to transform the space into a more elegant restaurant, but it isn't quite that.· There is an elegant restaurant and a piano bar.· It houses an elegant restaurant from which the views across the Danube to the parliament building and much of Pest are magnificent.
· It was for these reasons that a search for more elegant solutions was started in 1969-1970.· I know what scientists mean when they talk about elegant solutions.· This is not an elegant solution.· AsiaSurf is a simple, elegant solution to a vexing software problem.· One way would be: However the following example would be a more elegant solution.
· The Consort Select menu and elegant surroundings.· The management prides itself on offering comfortable accommodation in elegant surroundings, and puts an emphasis on providing excellent service.· That's the unanimous verdict of shoppers who are impressed by the elegant surroundings, high quality shops and first rate service.
· It was slung around his shoulder in such an elegant way that it seemed a fashion accessory.· Bio2 was an elegant way to do this.· In the elegant way of innocent men, he accepted his gift graciously.
· Judy, an elegant woman in her early 40s with a peaceful demeanour, bids us sit down in the verandah.· Inside the elegant woman he saw a coarse one.· Some of the most elegant women in London come through these doors.· I date slender, elegant women.· Now, remember the elegant woman, always dressed to the nines, with the infectious laugh.· She is a tall, elegant woman with fine cheekbones and smooth pale skin.· Marta Rita Prince de Garcia is an elegant woman with a penchant for the drama of life.· Deborah was a tall, elegant woman with dark hair.
a tall, elegant young woman You can dine in elegant surroundings.2an idea or a plan that is elegant is very intelligent yet simple: an elegant solution to the problem—elegantly adverb—elegance noun [uncountable]: the style and elegance of the designs- John Barleycorn
- John Birch Society
- John Brown's Body
- John Bull
- John Deere
- John Doe
- John, Elton
- John, King
- John Lewis
- Johnnie Walker
- johnny
- Johnny-on-the-spot
- John of Gaunt
- John o’ Groats
- John Paul I
- John Paul II, Pope
- John, Saint
- Johns, Jasper
- Johnson, Amy
- Johnson, Andrew
- Johnson, Boris
- Johnson, Jack
- Johnson & Johnson
- Johnson, Lyndon B.
- Johnson, Magic