Elegant
/ˈɛləɡənt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjCharacterised by or exhibiting elegance; having grace, refinement, or tasteful simplicity.
adjCharacterised by minimalism and intuitiveness while preserving exactness and precision.
Sentence Examples
They could hear the elegant, flowing sound of a harp coming from somewhere.
Many people, if not most, look on literary taste as an elegant accomplishment.
He fashioned an elegant pot out of clay.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She wore an ____ gown made of silk to the gala.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
They could hear the ____, flowing sound of a harp coming from somewhere.
Word Origin & History
From Late Middle English elegaunt, from Middle French elegant, ultimately from Latin ēlegāns, collateral form of present participle of ēligere, from ex- (“out of, from”) + legō (“choose, select, appoint”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"You could just use ordinary shop-bought kecap manis to marinade the meat, but making your own is easy, has a far more elegant fragrance and is, above all, such a great brag! Flavouring kecap manis is an intensely personal thing, so try this version now and next time cook the sauce down with crushed, split lemongrass and a shredded lime leaf."
— 2015 October 27, Matt Preston, The Simple Secrets to Cooking Everything Better, Plum, →ISBN, page 192:
""For myself, because of the baggage of 30 years of balkanisation, I think the elegant solution is to take operations back into the public sector. It will mean you can have a whole-industry approach to running the railway, unencumbered by contractual differences.""
— 2025 February 19, Paul Clifton, “I am absolutely committed to reforming the railway”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 41:
"'An' how are ye, Jemmie—how's every inch iv you?' enquired Moggy of the boy, when his agitation was a little blown over.
'I'm elegant, thank ye,' he answered; 'an' what's the matther wid ye all? I cum through the kitchen, and seen no one.'"
— 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:
"But if the Aviarist be ambitious to keep the lovely, but destructive, members of the Parrot family, he must be content with grass alone, because Parrakeets (except the weak-billed Turquoisines and Elegants) would destroy the shrubs and trees in a day."
— 1895, The Avicultural Magazine, Volume 1, The Avicultural Society for the Study of Foreign and British Birds, page 22:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She wore an ____ gown made of silk to the gala.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
They could hear the ____, flowing sound of a harp coming from somewhere.