Definition of SUAVE

Examples of suave in a Sentence

I am pleased, also, to think I pulled it off. I didn't do anything too stupid or gauche, and even though it was my first time at a spa, I managed to bluff my way through in a suitably suave, urbane fashion without any embarrassing social gaffes. —Will Ferguson, Beauty Tips From Moose Jaw, 2004
When she had been Miss Tampa, a suave major leaguer had courted her till she found out he was married, with children. —Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated, 19 Mar. 2001
Bobby gets a lot of tough love at home. As suave and polite as he seems to outsiders, he has “two personalities,” says his stepmother Wille. “He's a con artist.” His parents kicked him out of the house in August, trying to scare him after he came home drunk at 5 a. m. —Stacy Perman, Time, 25 Oct. 1999
a suave and sophisticated businessman
the suave gentleman was a great favorite of the elegant ladies who attended parties at the embassy

Recent Examples of suave from the Web

Throughout his long political career, Edwards had always cultivated the image of a suave rogue with a quick wit, abundant charm and an uncanny knowledge of the way politics is played.

— NOLA.com, "The rise and fall of Gov. Edwin Edwards", 28 May 2017
Roger Moore was the suave star of seven James Bond films.

— kansascity, "Final chapters: Gregg Allman, Roger Moore, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jim Bunning", 27 May 2017
Roger Moore, 89, the suave British actor who starred in seven James Bond movies and brought a likable, comedic dimension to the unflappable secret agent, died after a short battle with cancer, his family said Tuesday.

— seattle times staff & news services, The Seattle Times, "The week’s passages", 26 May 2017
Sophie Gilbert looks back on the career and legacy of the late, suave British actor.

— the editors, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic’s Week in Culture", 26 May 2017
Ah, just like you, we've been conditioned to believe that James Bond, the suave British spy with a license to kill, is a fantasy.

— douglas perry, OregonLive.com, "Roger Moore, not Sean Connery or Daniel Craig, is the real James Bond: a screenwriter has the proof", 26 May 2017
Two other characters also figure prominently: the assertive Alice (Jane Randolph), Oliver’s workplace confidante, who not-so-secretly loves him, and her friend Dr. Judd (Tom Conway), a suave psychiatrist of malleable professional ethics.

— david mermelstein, WSJ, "Master of Dark Arts", 25 Oct. 2016
Yeah Jacques Chirac, a blog that has reclaimed Chirac’s retro-suave style for Parisian hipsters, features fifteen pictures of Chirac au Salon.

— lauren collins, The New Yorker, "Come to the Fair", 4 Apr. 2016
Even so, the gulf separating the suave English speakers of the interim government from the thuwar was becoming more and more pronounced.

— scott shane and jo becker, New York Times, "A New Libya, With ‘Very Little Time Left’", 27 Feb. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'suave'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of suave

French, from Middle French, pleasant, sweet, from Latin suavis — more at sweet

First Known Use: 1831

suave Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of suave

suave, urbane, diplomatic, bland, smooth, politic mean pleasantly tactful and well-mannered. suave suggests a specific ability to deal with others easily and without friction. a suave public relations coordinator urbane implies high cultivation and poise coming from wide social experience. an urbane traveler diplomatic stresses an ability to deal with ticklish situations tactfully. a diplomatic negotiator bland emphasizes mildness of manner and absence of irritating qualities. a bland master of ceremonies smooth suggests often a deliberately assumed suavity. a smooth salesman politic implies shrewd as well as tactful and suave handling of people. a cunningly politic manager

suave

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