debonair
deb·o·nair
adjective \ˌde-bə-ˈner\Definition of DEBONAIR
2
a : suave, urbane <a debonair performer> b : lighthearted, nonchalant
— deb·o·nair·ly adverb
— deb·o·nair·ness noun
Examples of DEBONAIR
- a debonair man in a suit and top hat
- <his debonair dismissal of my inquiry concerning his financial situation led me to believe that nothing was wrong>
- Their history, past and recent, may be scribbled with viciousness and deprivation, but the debonair politeness, the good humor, of the Irish I met, who are still among the poorest people in the West, gave me to believe that calamity breeds character. —G. Y. Dryansky, Condé Nast Traveler, November 1994
- Cary Grant is the center of the action and, at this pivotal point in his career, he is suspended between the heroic and the debonair. —Andrew Sarris, Video Review, September 1990
- Wyndham Lewis arrived for a stay in Paris and he was a different man from the Lewis of London. He was free and easy and debonair. —Robert McAlmon et al., Being Geniuses Together, (1938) 1968
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Origin of DEBONAIR
Middle English debonere, from Anglo-French deboneire, from de bon aire of good family or nature
First Known Use: 13th century
Related to DEBONAIR
- Synonyms
- blithe, carefree, devil-may-care, gay, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, lighthearted, lightsome, slaphappy, unconcerned
- Antonyms
- careworn
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