quaint
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
attractive because it looks old-fashioned or belongs to the past.
characterised by an attractive, old-fashioned quality that suggests a simpler time.
Simple“We stayed in a quaint little cottage with a thatched roof and a rose garden.”
In context“The village is famous for its quaint cobblestone streets and traditional shops that have remained unchanged for decades.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
unusual or strange in a way that is interesting, though sometimes a bit silly.
unusual or peculiar in appearance or character; sometimes used with a slightly condescending tone.
Simple“He has some quaint ideas about how a business should be run.”
In context“While the locals found the custom deeply meaningful, the tourists viewed the ceremony as a quaint relic of a bygone era.”
Antonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
showing skill or being clever in a sneaky way.
cunning or artfully contrived; used to describe something cleverly made or a person who is crafty.
Simple“The old story spoke of a quaint fox who outsmarted the hunters.”
In context“The poet employed a quaint device to mirror the structure of the sonnet, a technique rarely seen in modern verse.”
From Middle English queynte, quoynte, from Anglo-Norman cointe, queinte and Old French cointe (“pretty, clever, knowing”), from Latin cognitus, past participle of cognōscō (“I know”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.