quaint

UK: /ˈkweɪnt/ US: /kweɪnt/ ,(kwānt)

Inflections of 'quaint' (adj):

quainter

adj comparative

quaintest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

quaint /kweɪnt/   adj., -er, -est. 

1. having an old-fashioned charm:
   a quaint old house.
2. peculiar;
   odd:
   a quaint sense of humor.

quaint•ly, adv. 
quaint•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

quaint  (kwānt), adj., -er, -est. 

1. having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm;
   oddly picturesque:
   a quaint old house.
2. strange, peculiar, or unusual in an interesting, pleasing, or amusing way:
   a quaint sense of humor.
3. skillfully or cleverly made.
4. [Obs.] wise;
   skilled.

• Old French, variant of cointe clever, pleasing Latin cognitus known (past participle of cognōscere; see cognition)
• Middle English queinte 1175–1225

quaint′ly, adv. 
quaint′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. antiquated, archaic.
• 2. curious, uncommon.

Antonyms

• 2. ordinary.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

quaint / kweɪnt/ adjective

1. attractively unusual, esp in an old-fashioned style
2. odd, peculiar, or inappropriate

Etymology: 13th Century (in the sense: clever): from Old French cointe, from Latin cognitus known, from cognoscere to ascertain

ˈquaintly adverb

ˈquaintness noun