Debonair

English

Adjective

Debonair (comparative more Debonair, superlative most Debonair)

1. (obsolete) Gracious, courteous.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.vi:

     Let be that Ladie debonaire, / Thou recreant knight, and soone thy selfe prepaire / To battell [...].

2. suave, urbane and sophisticated
3. (especially of men) charming, confident and carefully dressed

Synonyms for Debonair

buoyant, jaunty, gracious, lively, sprightly, gay, elegant, urbane.

Antonyms for Debonair

clumsy, awkward, maladroit.

Thesaurus

affable, airy, breezy, buoyant, carefree, charming, cheerful, civil, corky, courteous, dapper, dashing, elegant, free and easy, gay, genteel, gracious, insouciant, jaunty, light, light-hearted, lighthearted, lightsome, mannerly, nonchalant, obliging, perky, pleasant, polite, refined, resilient, smooth, soignee, sprightly, suave, urbane, well-bred

Etymology

French de bon air "having good appearances"

Pronunciation

• enPR: děb-ə-nɛr', IPA: /dɛbəˈnɛɹ/, SAMPA: /dEb@"nEr/

Anagrams

• diborane