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Definition of dainty
dainties
1a : something delicious to the taste a London dainty—a pyramid of jelly — Virginia Woolfb : something choice or pleasing
2 obsolete : fastidiousness
From the M-W Editors
Examples of dainty in a Sentence
the widow plied her suitor with dainties and endless glasses of sherry
Origin and Etymology of dainty
Middle English deinte high esteem, delight, from Anglo-French deinté, from Latin dignitat-, dignitas dignity, worth
dainty
Definition of dainty
daintier
;daintiest
1a : tasting good : tasty dainty morselsb : attractively prepared and served dainty sandwiches on silver trays
2 : marked by delicate or diminutive beauty, form, or grace dainty teacups took a dainty sip
3 obsolete : chary, reluctant … let us not be dainty of leave-taking … — Shakespeare
4a : marked by fastidious discrimination or finicky tasteb : showing avoidance of anything rough gentry too dainty to risk blisters on their hands — G. W. Johnson
Examples of dainty in a Sentence
Her hair was decorated with dainty pink flowers.
the girl's dainty little hands
The dancers' dainty steps were followed by a series of leaps.
She took a dainty sip of tea from her teacup.
They served dainty sandwiches on silver trays.
The food was served in dainty portions.
Recent Examples of dainty from the Web
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The reality star and glam guru has amassed quite a collection of dainty designs, some revealed on her social media accounts and some spotted by very dedicated fans.
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Smoque uses spare ribs trimmed St. Louis-style for dainty diners afraid of eating around a little knuckle.
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Canh ga chien nuoc mam, a dainty stack of fried chicken wings coated in caramelized fish sauce, were initially sticky-sweet but gave way to a mouth-tingling heat.
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Wait five to 10 minutes, then the dainty stuff will have been separated.
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Dainty, now president and CEO of TEG Dainty, has presented tours by The Rolling Stones (four times), Eminem (twice), Paul McCartney, Guns N’ Roses, Britney Spears, The Jackson 5, Eminem, Michael Jackson’s solo stadium trek and many more.
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Curry-coconut spaetzle are dainty, too, and just the right companion for pork boulettes (meatballs) that were a wee bit dry but animated with lime zest, lime leaf and asarum (wild ginger).
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A few blocks away at the sweets super-emporium Extraordinary Desserts, there are three versions of macarons: books to read about the colorful French treats; dainty, playful macaron earrings to wear; and of course, the actual cookies to eat.
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But if dark orange isn't your cup of tea, this lighter peach stone ($2,560, etsy.com) is super dainty and the halo of diamonds around it makes the color pop.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dainty'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of dainty
see 1dainty
Synonym Discussion of dainty
DAINTY Defined for English Language Learners
dainty
Definition of dainty for English Language Learners
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: small and pretty
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: done with small and careful movements
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of food : attractive and served in small amounts
DAINTY Defined for Kids
Definition of dainty for Students
daintier
;daintiest
1 : tasting good
2 : pretty in a delicate way dainty flowers
3 : having or showing delicate or finicky taste He is a dainty eater.
daintily
\ˈdān-tə-lē\ adverbLearn More about dainty
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dainty Spanish Central: Translation of dainty Nglish: Translation of dainty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dainty for Arabic speakers
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