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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word exquisite different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of exquisite are choice, dainty, delicate, elegant, and rare. While all these words mean "having qualities that appeal to a cultivated taste," exquisite implies a perfection in workmanship or design that appeals only to very sensitive taste.

an exquisite gold bracelet

When could choice be used to replace exquisite?

While the synonyms choice and exquisite are close in meaning, choice stresses preeminence in quality or kind.

choice fabric

When can dainty be used instead of exquisite?

Although the words dainty and exquisite have much in common, dainty sometimes carries an additional suggestion of smallness and of appeal to the eye or palate.

dainty sandwiches

In what contexts can delicate take the place of exquisite?

The words delicate and exquisite are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, delicate implies exquisiteness, subtlety, and fragility.

delicate craftsmanship

Where would elegant be a reasonable alternative to exquisite?

The synonyms elegant and exquisite are sometimes interchangeable, but elegant applies to what is rich and luxurious but restrained by good taste.

a sumptuous but elegant dining room

When is rare a more appropriate choice than exquisite?

While in some cases nearly identical to exquisite, rare suggests an uncommon excellence.

rare beauty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exquisite
Adjective
The outfits range from the exquisite to the amusing to the absurd, tracing San Francisco fashion from after the 1906 earthquake to the new century. Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024 Balcer would put her stamp on the game in another way 25 minutes later, delivering an exquisite through ball that launched Lavelle on a dash up the middle of the Gotham defense toward the tying goal. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2023
Noun
The Russian jeweler’s most celebrated female designer, Alma Theresia Pihl, hatched the ethereal concept while her uncle, workmaster Albert Holmström, executed the exquisite craftsmanship. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2025 Not yet bested today, the most exquisite zombie movie ever created demanded to be seen by more audiences, and using late-night slots at drive-in theaters and rep cinemas as a cheap way to build out its reputation was brilliant. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exquisite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exquisite
Adjective
  • During periods of intense rainfall, the risk of flooding increases, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone areas.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Safdie perceptively locates the protagonist’s troubling inner contradictions—the atavistic fury that drives him to compete and the intense self-control that competition demands—but dramatizes such outer crises as opioid addiction and conflict with his girlfriend (Emily Blunt) only schematically.
    Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Crafted in gold-toned bronze, its coloring is understated and elegant, allowing the designer to work with a more experimental shape.
    Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2025
  • The Clunie Dining Room For a more elegant affair, there’s The Clunie Dining Room at The Fife Arms.
    Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In a subtler interpretation of the trend, the Jazz bookshelf is handcrafted in oak that takes on a golden hue when hit with the right light.
    Rachel Gallaher, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Cohen and other researchers have identified many subtle fixes that improve kids’ eating habits.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Number of the day 7 That’s how many unoccupied homes have collapsed in North Carolina’s Outer Banks amid large swells and rough surf caused by a pair of storm systems churning in the Atlantic.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
  • These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
    MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Over the next three days, Stafford and Hanton will lead you through an intensive, interactive bushcraft school.
    Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2025
  • In India, the government has begun pushing to decarbonize the iron and steel sector, one of the world’s most emissions-intensive industries, driven as much by resource and pollution pressures as by diplomacy.
    Felicia Jackson, Forbes.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The new qubits rely on erbium, a rare-earth element valued for its clean optical properties and strong magnetic interactions.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Instant Game Maker gives kids the rare thrill of turning their doodles into actual playable video games.
    Emily Glover, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • This delicate stocking reminds us of the ones from our grandparents that were hand stitched with love every year.
    Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2025
  • As for glam and accessories, Jackson favored delicate rings, bracelet and dangle earrings in warm tones to augment her red dress.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The event kicked off with an opening dance, before the debutantes lined up for a waltz with their fathers, who were then passed onto their cavaliers for dancing with a live band.
    Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 1 Dec. 2024
  • Opal is described as a 5-pound red/brown cavapoo — a mix of a King Charles cavalier and a poodle.
    Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Exquisite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exquisite. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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