quaint

adjective

ˈkwānt 

1

a

: pleasingly or strikingly old-fashioned or unfamiliar

a quaint phrase

b

: unusual or different in character or appearance : odd

2

a

: marked by skillful design

quaint with many a device in India ink

—Herman Melville

b

: marked by beauty or elegance

3

obsolete : expert, skilled

quaintly adverb

quaintness noun

Synonyms

• bizarre
• bizarro
• cranky
• crazy
• curious
• eccentric
• erratic
• far-out
• funky
• funny
• kinky
• kooky
• kookie
• odd
• off-kilter
• off-the-wall
• offbeat
• out-of-the-way
• outlandish
• outré
• peculiar
• queer
• queerish
• quirky
• remarkable
• rum [chiefly British]
• screwy
• spaced-out
• strange
• wacky
• whacky
• way-out
• weird
• weirdo
• wild

Choose the Right Synonym for quaint

strange, singular, unique, peculiar, eccentric, erratic, odd, quaint, outlandish mean departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected.

strange stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable.

a journey filled with strange sights

singular suggests individuality or puzzling strangeness.

a singular feeling of impending disaster

unique implies singularity and the fact of being without a known parallel.

a career unique in the annals of science

peculiar implies a marked distinctiveness.

the peculiar status of America's First Lady

eccentric suggests a wide divergence from the usual or normal especially in behavior.

the eccentric eating habits of preschoolers

erratic stresses a capricious and unpredictable wandering or deviating.

a friend's suddenly erratic behavior

odd applies to a departure from the regular or expected.

an odd sense of humor

quaint suggests an old-fashioned but pleasant oddness.

a quaint fishing village

outlandish applies to what is uncouth, bizarre, or barbaric.

outlandish fashions of the time

Examples of quaint in a Sentence

A lot can change in 25 years, and Yountville has gone from an also-ran on the Napa food-and-wine tourism scene to the focus of activity. The quaint bed and breakfasts of yesterday have been replaced by upscale hotels and inns, and the village has become a mecca for top chefs. —Tim Fish, Wine Spectator, 15 June 2008

Therefore, when the federal Constitutional Convention decided in 1787 that U.S. senators would be appointed by state legislatures rather than elected by the people at large, the drafters were actually placing the choice of U.S. senators in the control of state leaders who had met their states' highest qualifications for property and religion. Today, these property and religious qualifications are likely to strike us as quaint historical oddities. —Richard N. Rosenfeld, Harper's, May 2004

Five minutes by ferry from the bustling concrete depths of Wall Street sits what could be a quaint New England town: stately, collegiate buildings framed by tree-lined walkways where the wind rustles through aging oak trees. —Andrea Elliott, New York Times, 25 July 2003

The fishing village was very quaint.

The writer talks about the quaint customs of the natives.

Recent Examples on the Web

Begin in quaint Passau, the ‘City of Three Rivers’ where the holiday fair is hosted in the middle of the old town with a 17th-century cathedral as its backdrop. —Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 Nov. 2024

The quaint Danish village of Solvang is next door, and the local sky is occasionally lit up with rocket launches; Lompoc and Vandenberg Space Force Base are a few miles to the west. —Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

The vibe: Origami Ramen is quaint — there are about 10 tables and one roaming waiter, though guests are encouraged to order via the tablet at their table. —Jessica Boehm, Axios, 19 Nov. 2024

There are parallels between the 1960 election and today Question: The book reads like a thriller, but some of the various things going on in 1960 seem almost quaint today. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English queinte, cointe, from Anglo-French, clever, expert, from Latin cognitus, past participle of cognoscere to know — more at cognition

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

quaint

adjective

ˈkwānt 

: unusual or different in quality or appearance

especially : pleasingly old-fashioned or unfamiliar

a quaint fishing village

quaintly adverb

quaintness noun