dainty
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Fastidious and fussy.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
daynteeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdeɪnti
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Elegant; delicately small and pretty.
Fastidious and fussy, especially when eating.
noun
A delicacy (choice or pleasing food).
(Northwestern Ontario, Canadian Prairies, British Columbia, usually in the plural) A fancy cookie, pastry, or square, frequently homemade, served at a social event.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Elegant; delicately small and pretty.
Used this way, dainty is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It suits reflective writing more than quick conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Slightly formal
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Beautiful or graceful
- Usage feel
- Reflective and slightly elevated
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.