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Definition of exquisitenext
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exquisite

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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

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 major hubs are bad in all the predictable ways, but America’s smaller airports are each cursed and tragic in their own exquisite style. Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026 The opening notes of the title song introduced the exquisite complexity that characterized the album as a whole. Chris Young, AJC.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
This year, Carol Kane — the chimeric renaissance woman, eternal ingenue, muse to visionaries from Sidney Lumet to Cindy Sherman — rose from the rubble, a mirage made real, in Nathan Silver's exquisite Between the Temples. Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024 With scenery this exquisite and a setting this peaceful, no one should mind experiencing it all over again. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for exquisite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exquisite
Adjective
  • For the seventh year in a row, Walmart captured more money from Charlotte-area shoppers than any other grocery store, despite intense competition from local grocers like Harris Teeter and Food Lion.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Graves’ exit has sparked intense speculation about his potential successor to represent Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, which stretches across northern Missouri and touches Kansas City’s Northland.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Depending on the combination, this creates either a clean, almost futuristic appeal or a soft, elegant look.
    Jana Ackermann, Glamour, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Van Beirendonck gravitates toward loud prints in bright colors and allusions to BDSM, whereas Van Saene makes elegant cocktail dresses for women with bow details and shrunken cardigans.
    Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Another camera, an eye tuned to the subtle strangeness of an otherwise ordinary day—someone or something, somewhere, must have caught a glimmer of the truth.
    Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Vice President Vance, who is considered an isolationist, expressed private skepticism ahead of the attacks, and his relative silence during the first weeks of the war was perceived as a subtle way of distancing himself from the conflict.
    Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Only 2200 of them remain, having staved off swells of economic uncertainty, retaining their Irish accents and ways of life.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The bills drew a swell of opposition during a public hearing earlier this month.
    Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • These are the military's most elite forces, who have undergone intensive physical and technical training for this type of mission.
    CBS News, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Radar works in these conditions but is power-intensive for small drones.
    Nitin Sanket, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The decision drew immediate fire from El-Sayed's primary opponents and national Democratic figures, forcing a rare public reckoning over how far the party should go to recapture young men who abandoned it in record numbers in 2024.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
  • That would be a rare bit of good news from our embrace of AI.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The paramedic suddenly had to balance the urgency of a wartime emergency with the delicate, critical first steps of childbirth.
    Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Miranda's fingers are elegant, delicate as bird bones.
    Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The young women and their cavaliers headed to L’Arc, a nightclub in Paris situated near the Shangri-La; there, the group continued their celebrations some hours later.
    Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
  • Carolina Herrera's granddaughter Carolina Lansing Carolina Lansing, the 21-year-old granddaughter of legendary fashion designer Carolina Herrera, also made her debut with her younger brother, Magnus Lansing, as her cavalier.
    Pamela Avila, USA Today, 1 Dec. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Exquisite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exquisite. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.

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