ENGLISH
REFERENCE

quaint

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈkweɪnt// UK //kwˈeɪnt// quaint Archaic Dialect

adj. attractive because it looks old-fashioned or unusual. You use this to describe something charming that reminds you of the past.

adj. attractively unusual or old-fashioned in appearance. Often carries a slightly patronising nuance when used by urban observers to describe rural or traditional settings.


SIMPLE

We stayed in a quaint little cottage by the sea.

CONTEXTUAL

The town is famous for its quaint cobblestone streets and traditional timber-framed houses.

COMPLEX

While the locals found the lack of modern infrastructure frustrating, tourists were charmed by the quaint atmosphere of the isolated mountain village.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun; can be used predicatively after linking verbs like 'seem' or 'look'.

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