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View synonyms for quaint

quaint

[ kweynt ]

adjective

, quaint·er, quaint·est.
  1. having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm; oddly picturesque:

    a quaint old house.

    Synonyms: archaic, antiquated

  2. strange, peculiar, or unusual in an interesting, pleasing, or amusing way:

    a quaint sense of humor.

    Synonyms: uncommon, curious

    Antonyms: ordinary

  3. skillfully or cleverly made.
  4. Obsolete. wise; skilled.


quaint

/ kweɪnt /

adjective

  1. attractively unusual, esp in an old-fashioned style

    a quaint village

  2. odd, peculiar, or inappropriate

    a quaint sense of duty



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Derived Forms

  • ˈquaintly, adverb
  • ˈquaintness, noun

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Other Words From

  • quaintly adverb
  • quaintness noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of quaint1

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English queinte, from Old French, variant of cointe “clever, pleasing,” from Latin cognitus “learned, known,” past participle of cognōscere “to learn, become acquainted”; cognition

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Word History and Origins

Origin of quaint1

C13 (in the sense: clever): from Old French cointe, from Latin cognitus known, from cognoscere to ascertain

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Example Sentences

The 36-mile drive is ideal for a leisurely day or weekend—you’ll have plenty of time to check out the quaint hillside farm stands and hiking trails in Mad River Valley.

Williams’s Open era accomplishments aren’t limited by a historically quaint era.

Book a room at the Omni in Corpus Christi or the quaint Angel Rose B&B in Rockport.

The dramatic beauty of the Atlantic coast, the quaint, welcoming nature of the villages, and the seemingly endless stretches of forest make this state an obvious go-to for overlanders seeking a destination worth exploring in this region.

If anything seems off, it’s the stream of fellow diners dressed for dinner in suits and dresses, which look quaint in an ongoing pandemic.

According to Adoflsson, the tradition is nothing more than good vs. evil, set in a quaint Swedish town.

Today, the quaint spectacle of a stage-managed fairy-tale celebration strikes many of us as a load of garbage.

Swarms of police, gunfire, panic—all foreign to a city known for its quaint, Commonwealth style, still air, and orderliness.

I followed and was soon sitting at a quaint table with chairs facing the lake.

Reed moved to Bhutan when Thimphu was a quaint town of 30,000.

Grandmamma sits in her quaint arm-chair— Never was lady more sweet and fair!

Yet their quaint attempts to improve their appearance throw an interesting side-light on their æsthetic preferences.

Quaint old Burton in his "Anatomy of Melancholy," recognizes the virtues of the plant while he anathematizes its abuse.

"All they can rap and run for" is the more frequent colloquial version of this quaint phrase.

His quick-wittedness and the subtlety of his character make him full of quaint remarks and funny and unexpected comparisons.

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