suave

adjective \ ˈswäv \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of suave

suaver; suavest

1 : smoothly though often superficially gracious and sophisticated

2 : smooth in texture, performance, or style

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suavely

adverb

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suaveness

noun

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suavity

play \ˈswä-və-tē\ noun

See suave defined for English-language learners

See suave defined for kids

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

Big Technicolor gestures registered with a punch, the strings conjured up a warm, suave texture, and there were piercingly eloquent solo turns by (among others) oboist Eugene Izotov and trumpeter Mark Inouye.

— joshua kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, "S.F. Symphony follows Strauss over a mountain," 13 Apr. 2018
The bar, with its suave whiskey mezzanine, is richly atmospheric, too.

— baltimoresun.com, "Best of Baltimore 2018: Dining & nightlife," 11 Apr. 2018
Picture this: a dark alley where the suave evil dude has cornered a helpless plot point.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Cavitation dilemma resolved in knuckle-cracking model," 5 Apr. 2018
The band has moved toward a polished and suave sound.

— john adamian, courant.com, "Indie Pop Band Turnover Coming To Toad's Place," 17 Mar. 2018
Speaking of drinks, the bar whipped up a very suave martini and quite a muscular old fashioned.

— tim smith, baltimoresun.com, "Barrett's Grill is no ordinary mall restaurant," 15 Mar. 2018
Jackie Treehorn’s House Jared Cowan Of all the locations featured in The Big Lebowski, there’s perhaps none more spectacular than the home of suave adult film producer, Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara).

— jared cowan, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Big Lebowski’s Most Memorable L.A. Locations, Then and Now," 5 Mar. 2018
And no one besides her courtly older boyfriend Orlando (sophisticated and suave Francisco Reyes) understands the young singer-waitress.

— laura demarco, cleveland.com, "'A Fantastic Woman': Oscar-nominated Chilean film lives up to its name (review)," 27 Feb. 2018
Yet beneath it, Nalin Kohli, a suave lawyer flown in from Delhi by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which runs India’s national government, is giving a stump speech in Hindi.

— The Economist, "Elections in north-east India highlight the BJP’s political savvy," 22 Feb. 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1831

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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.