svelte
adjective
ˈsvelt 
ˈsfelt
svelter; sveltest
1
a
: slender, lithe
b
: having clean lines : sleek
2
: urbane, suave
sveltely adverb
svelteness noun
Did you know?
Svelte came to us, by way of French, from Italian svelto, which itself comes from the Italian verb svellere, meaning "to pluck out" or "to pull or stretch out." In English svelte has been used since the early 19th century to describe a slender appearance, as in A.B. Granville's 1838 description of a countess who was "tall, svelte, pale, and interesting." By the 20th century, English speakers had stretched the word's meaning to suggest an urbane or suave nature—as poet Ezra Pound did when he described "svelte Verona," a city he visited in north Italy.
Common Misspelling(s)
svelt
Synonyms
- bony
- boney
- fatless
- lean
- lithe
- skinny
- slender
- slim
- spare
- thin
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She has a svelte figure. the svelte dancer seemed to float across the stage
Recent Examples on the Web The two men met on a San Francisco beach when Less was a svelte twenty-one and Robert was more than two decades older and married (to a woman—this was 1987). 
Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2022 Now paleontologists have uncovered one of the earliest members of this storied lineage of lumbering giants: a svelte, much smaller omnivore that once darted across the floodplains of prehistoric Zimbabwe. Riley Black, Scientific American, 31 Aug. 2022 Yet gossip mills and social media are rife with newly svelte fans. Paul Tullis, Town & Country, 11 Aug. 2022 The Powercore Redux 10000 ($40) in particular is a small, svelte portable battery pack that's easy to fit into a pocket or purse and charges quickly enough (providing 25 W) to be useful in a pinch. Corey Gaskin, Ars Technica, 12 July 2022 Curves Ahead Terra’s svelte Cavallo dining table and chairs ($2,544, $522) soften the hard lines of the modern space while top-grade teak picks up amber veining in the flagstone patio. Jennifer Konerman, Sunset Magazine, 22 July 2022 And, finally, a dark svelte object that glides through the air like nothing of this earth. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 July 2022 The Fitbit Luxe is a simple but svelte activity tracker. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 22 June 2022 That’s relatively svelte by modern standards and will make for an agile, sprightly tank. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 14 June 2022 See More
Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2022 Now paleontologists have uncovered one of the earliest members of this storied lineage of lumbering giants: a svelte, much smaller omnivore that once darted across the floodplains of prehistoric Zimbabwe. Riley Black, Scientific American, 31 Aug. 2022 Yet gossip mills and social media are rife with newly svelte fans. Paul Tullis, Town & Country, 11 Aug. 2022 The Powercore Redux 10000 ($40) in particular is a small, svelte portable battery pack that's easy to fit into a pocket or purse and charges quickly enough (providing 25 W) to be useful in a pinch. Corey Gaskin, Ars Technica, 12 July 2022 Curves Ahead Terra’s svelte Cavallo dining table and chairs ($2,544, $522) soften the hard lines of the modern space while top-grade teak picks up amber veining in the flagstone patio. Jennifer Konerman, Sunset Magazine, 22 July 2022 And, finally, a dark svelte object that glides through the air like nothing of this earth. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 20 July 2022 The Fitbit Luxe is a simple but svelte activity tracker. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 22 June 2022 That’s relatively svelte by modern standards and will make for an agile, sprightly tank. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 14 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
French, from Italian svelto, from past participle of svellere to pluck out, modification of Latin evellere, from e- + vellere to pluck — more at vulnerable
First Known Use
circa 1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
svelte
adjective
1
as in skinny
having a noticeably small amount of body fat the svelte dancer seemed to float across the stage Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- skinny
- slender
- thin
- lean
- slim
- bony
- lithe
- gaunt
- angular
- fatless
- trim
- skeletal
- willowy
- boney
- haggard
- sylphlike
- spare
- wiry
- sinewy
- scrawny
- lanky
- rawboned
- anorexic
- rangy
- spindly
- clean-limbed
- reedy
- twiggy
- emaciated
- weedy
- waspish
- puny
- wizened
- stringy
- cadaverous
- scraggy
- meager
- lank
- anorectic
- pinched
- spindling
- meagre
- slight
- anoretic
- wasted
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- chubby
- plump
- rotund
- corpulent
- fat
- portly
- obese
- overweight
- beefy
- tubby
- stocky
- bulky
- chunky
- thick
- fleshy
- gross
- heavyset
- pudgy
- burly
- stout
- thickset
- brawny
- weighty
- heavy
- husky
- dumpy
- stubby
- paunchy
- flabby
- squat
- buxom
- potbellied
- zaftig
- soft
- roly-poly
- full
- round
- hippy
- zoftig
2
as in sophisticated
having or showing very polished and worldly manners the interior designer spoke in a low, svelte voice Synonyms & Similar Words
- sophisticated
- graceful
- suave
- smooth
- gracious
- civilized
- urbane
- polished
- debonair
- attractive
- serene
- slick
- experienced
- confident
- cavalier
- cosmopolitan
- smart
- cultured
- unctuous
- cultivated
- poised
- glib
- appealing
- amiable
- practiced
- composed
- refined
- placid
- metropolitan
- genteel
- well-bred
- seasoned
- unperturbed
- knowing
- tranquil
- calm
- collected
- metro
- worldly-wise
- undisturbed
- couth
- schooled
- secure
- assured
- self-assured
- self-possessed
- cool
- self-confident
- practised
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- clownish
- uncouth
- clumsy
- awkward
- ungraceful
- wooden
- loutish
- stiff
- green
- uncomfortable
- gauche
- boorish
- graceless
- churlish
- uneasy
- classless
- raw
- rustic
- stilted
- inexperienced
- inelegant
- puerile
- ungainly
- provincial
- callow
- unrefined
- unsophisticated
- gawky
- parochial
- rustical
- uncivilized
- stodgy
- uncultured
- unworldly
- rough-hewn
- diffident
- lubberly
- philistine
- insecure
- hick
- anti-jacobinism
- anti-jam
- anti-jamming
- anti-Japanese
- anti-Jewish
- anti-Judaism
- anti-kickback
- anti-knock
- anti-labor
- anti-leaguer
- anti-leak
- Anti-Lebanon
- anti-leprosy
- anti-liberal
- anti-liberalism
- anti-libertarian
- anti-literary
- anti-litter
- anti-littering
- anti-lynching
- anti-macho
- anti-Mafia
- anti-malaria
- anti-male
- anti-management