MEANING
Attractively unusual or old-fashioned in character.
Use it for
Old-fashioned local charm; visitor impressions; tension between tourism and daily lifeExpose either genuine affection or the distance in an outsider's gaze.
Words that belong together
- quaint village
- quaint neighborhood
- quaint custom
On the page
Tourists called the village quaint; residents wanted a reliable bus service.
The quaint café still settled bills with handwritten receipts.
What she found quaint at first became inconvenient after a winter there.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- quaint
Usage notes
Primary category: setting. Typically affectionate, but can belittle a living community by treating it as a charming relic. Not synonymous with historic or physically old. Comparative: quainter; superlative: quaintest; more/most quaint also possible.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.