Word forms: comparative daintier, superlative daintiest
adjective
If you describe a movement, person, or object as dainty, you mean that they are small, delicate, and pretty.
...dainty pink flowers.
Synonyms: delicate, pretty, charming, fine More Synonyms of dainty
daintilyadverb [ADVERB with verb, Also ADV adj]
She walked daintily down the steps.
More Synonyms of dainty
dainty in British English
(ˈdeɪntɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: -tier or -tiest
1.
delicate or elegant
a dainty teacup
2.
pleasing to the taste; choice; delicious
a dainty morsel
3.
refined, esp excessively genteel; fastidious
nounWord forms: plural-ties
4.
a choice piece of food, esp a small cake or sweet; delicacy
Derived forms
daintily (ˈdaintily)
adverb
daintiness (ˈdaintiness)
noun
Word origin
C13: from Old French deintié, from Latin dignitāsdignity
dainty in American English
(ˈdeɪnti)
nounWord forms: pluralˈdainties
1.
a choice food; delicacy
adjectiveWord forms: ˈdaintier or ˈdaintiest
2.
delicious and choice
a dainty morsel
3.
delicately pretty or lovely
4.
a.
of or showing delicate and refined taste; fastidious
b.
overly or affectedly fastidious; squeamish
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈdelicate
SYNONYMY NOTE: dainty, in this comparison, suggests delicate taste and implies a tendency to reject thatwhich does not fully accord with one's refined sensibilities [a dainty appetite]; nice suggests fine or subtle discriminative powers, esp. in intellectual matters [a nice distinction in definition]; particular implies dissatisfaction with anything that fails to conform in detail with one'sstandards [particular in one's choice of friends]; fastidious implies adherence to such high standards as to be disdainfully critical of even minornonconformities [a fastidious taste in literature]; squeamish suggests such extreme sensitiveness to what is unpleasant, or such prudishness, asto result in disgust or nausea [not too squeamish in his business dealings]
Derived forms
daintily (ˈdaintily)
adverb
daintiness (ˈdaintiness)
noun
Word origin
ME deinte, excellent, fine, orig., feeling of esteem < Anglo-Fr deinté < OFr deinté < L dignitas, worth, dignity
Examples of 'dainty' in a sentence
dainty
A dainty little plant that packs a punch.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
I also know she would look dainty and elegant while eating a bacon sandwich.
The Sun (2015)
What a pretty, dainty name.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
You eat quail's eggs because they are dainty, sweet and delicious.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
These are plants that reflect the autumn and early winter scene beautifully; small trees and dainty shrubs cloaked in unrivalled autumn colour and bearing delightful winged fruit.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Everyone wants pretty, dainty feet and I am so looking forward to showing mine off.
The Sun (2012)
In other languages
dainty
British English: dainty ADJECTIVE
If you describe a movement, person, or object as dainty, you mean that they are small, delicate, and pretty.
The girls were dainty and feminine.
American English: dainty
Brazilian Portuguese: delicado
Chinese: 娇小漂亮的
European Spanish: delicado
French: délicat
German: zierlich
Italian: grazioso
Japanese: 繊細な
Korean: 예쁘장한
European Portuguese: delicado
Latin American Spanish: delicado
1 (adjective)
Definition
delicate, pretty, or elegant
a pair of the daintiest little kid slippers
Synonyms
delicate
china with a delicate design
pretty
comfortable sofas covered in a pretty floral print
charming
fine
She wears fine jewellery wherever she goes.
slight
slim
elegant
Patricia looked as beautiful and elegant as always.
trim
neat
He had the neat movements of a dancer.
refined
His speech and manner are refined.
exquisite
These panels of glazed tiles are exquisite works of art.
graceful
Her movements were so graceful they seemed effortless.
petite
a petite woman who spoke little English
dinky (British, informal)
She drove a dinky little sports car.
Opposites
awkward
,
coarse
,
clumsy
,
ungainly
,
gauche
,
uncouth
,
inelegant
,
maladroit
,
unco (Australian, slang)
2 (adjective)
a dainty morsel
Synonyms
delectable
a delectable dessert
choice
The finest array of choicest foods is to be found within their Food Hall.
delicious
a wide selection of delicious meals to choose from
tender
tasty
I thought the food was very tasty.
savoury
Italian cooking is best known for its savoury dishes.
palatable
flavourings designed to make the food more palatable
toothsome
toothsome honey-sweetened gingerbread
3 (adjective)
They cater for a range of tastes, from the dainty to the extravagant.
Synonyms
particular
Ted was very particular about the colours he used.
nice
As a politician, he drew a nice distinction between his own opinions and the wishes of the majority.
refined
refined tastes
fussy
She's not fussy about her food.
scrupulous
scrupulous attention to detail
fastidious
He was fastidious about his appearance.
choosy (informal)
You can't afford to be too choosy about jobs these days.
picky (informal)
Everyone knows children are picky eaters.
finicky
Even the most finicky eater will find something to eat.
anal retentive
finical
(noun)
Definition
a small choice cake or sweet
Synonyms
delicacy
course after course of mouthwatering delicacies
fancy
titbit
She offered him titbits; a chicken drumstick, some cheese.
sweetmeat
bonne bouche (French)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of choice
Definition
of high quality
The finest array of choicest foods is to be found within their Food Hall.
Synonyms
best,
bad (slang),
special,
prime,
nice,
prize,
select,
excellent,
elect,
crucial (slang),
exclusive,
elite,
superior,
exquisite,
def (slang),
sick (slang),
booshit (Australian, slang),
exo (Australian, slang),
sik (Australian, slang),
hand-picked,
dainty,
rad (informal),
phat (slang),
schmick (Australian, informal)
in the sense of choosy
Definition
fussy
You can't afford to be too choosy about jobs these days.
Synonyms
fussy,
particular,
exacting,
discriminating,
selective,
fastidious,
picky (informal),
finicky,
faddy,
nit-picky (informal)
in the sense of delicious
Definition
very appealing to taste or smell
a wide selection of delicious meals to choose from