elegant
/ˈɛlɪɡ(ə)nt
/adjective
1Graceful and stylish in appearance or manner: she will look elegant in black an elegant, comfortable house...
- The Queen then entered with a show of magical lights in her most elegant gown.
- Dressing herself in one graceful movement, she wore a long black dress that looked more elegant then casual.
- For her age of sixty she looked very elegant in it.
Synonyms
stylish, graceful, tasteful, discerning, refined, sophisticated, dignified, cultivated, distinguished, classic, smart, fashionable, modish, decorous, beautiful, artistic, aesthetic, lovely;
charming, polished, suave, urbane, cultured, dashing, debonair;
luxurious, sumptuous, opulent, grand, plush, high-class, exquisite
informal swanky
2(Of a scientific theory or solution to a problem) pleasingly ingenious and simple: the grand unified theory is compact and elegant in mathematical terms...
- The back of the computer is elegant in its simplicity.
- The user interface, while again somewhat limited, is also elegant in its simplicity.
- The SCSI protocol is elegant in its simplicity.
Synonyms
neat, simple, effective;
ingenious, clever, deft, intelligent, inventive
Origin
Late 15th century: from French, or from Latin elegans, elegant-, related to eligere 'choose, select' (see elect).
These days, someone elegant will generally be well dressed, but the basic idea behind the word is of being discerning and making careful choices. It comes from Old French élégant or Latin elegans, from eligere ‘to choose or select’, which was the origin of elect (Late Middle English), eligible (Late Middle English), and elite (late 18th century).