debonair

adjective

deb·​o·​nair ˌde-bə-ˈner 

1

a

: suave, urbane

a debonair performer

b

: lighthearted, nonchalant

2

archaic : gentle, courteous

debonairly adverb

debonairness noun

Did you know?

Calling someone debonair is another way of saying they’ve got a certain je ne sais quoi, or to be more specific (and complete the rhyme): savoir faire. Ooh la la! If this all sounds ultra chic to you, you’re not alone. French has a certain cachet, a fanciness and prestige owing in part to its deep etymological, historical, and political connections with English. This extends to many French words that English has borrowed outright or adapted, including debonair. In Anglo-French, someone who was genteel and thought to be well-brought-up was described as deboneire—literally “of good family or nature” (from the three-word phrase de bon aire). When the word was borrowed into English in the 13th century, it basically meant “courteous,” but today’s debonair incorporates suaveness, nonchalance, and maybe even a soupçon of esprit (carefree sophistication with a dash of wit).

Synonyms

• blithe
• carefree
• devil-may-care
• gay
• happy-go-lucky
• insouciant
• lighthearted
• lightsome
• slaphappy
• unconcerned

Examples of debonair in a Sentence

Their history, past and recent, may be scribbled with viciousness and deprivation, but the debonair politeness, the good humor, of the Irish I met, who are still among the poorest people in the West, gave me to believe that calamity breeds character. —G. Y. Dryansky, Condé Nast Traveler, November 1994

Cary Grant is the center of the action and, at this pivotal point in his career, he is suspended between the heroic and the debonair. —Andrew Sarris, Video Review, September 1990

Wyndham Lewis arrived for a stay in Paris and he was a different man from the Lewis of London. He was free and easy and debonair. —Robert McAlmon et al., Being Geniuses Together, (1938) 1968

a debonair man in a suit and top hat

his debonair dismissal of my inquiry concerning his financial situation led me to believe that nothing was wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

Massa is a debonair man of fifty-two, known as a canny political operator. —Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

Likewise, Ritchie revels in his characters’ debonair nonchalance while meting out all manner of savagery. —Jake Coyle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024

But as the 2000s hit Raymond would nearly immediately opt for suits and debonair menswear items. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 14 Oct. 2024

The film never slows down, offering reliable entertainment throughout its runtime via an aesthetically debonair repackaging of historical events. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English debonere, from Anglo-French deboneire, from de bon aire of good family or nature

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

debonair

adjective

deb·​o·​nair ˌdeb-ə-ˈna(ə)r 

-ˈne(ə)r

: gracefully charming

a debonair manner

debonairly adverb

debonairness noun

Etymology

Middle English debonere "courteous, debonair," from early French deboneire (same meaning), from earlier phrase de bon aire "of good family"