Jaunty
What it means
Cheerful, lively, and casually self-confident in appearance or manner.
Reach for it when praising light stylish confidence when a playful tone fits
He wore a jaunty hat that made the children smile.
Words to choose between 7
| playful |
|
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
-
playful
Fits when informal lively energy is sufficient
Careful Peppy sounds juvenile and has little connection to confidence or dress.
-
everyday
Fits when bright good spirits are the main trait
Careful Cheerful lacks jaunty's stylish confidence.
-
warm
Fits when neat stylish dress is the focus
Careful Dapper is more polished, traditionally masculine, and less energetic.
-
professional
Fits when stable confidence should be named directly
Careful Self-assured can be quiet and serious, unlike jaunty manner.
-
formal
Fits when optimistic lightness persists under pressure
Careful Buoyant concerns mood and resilience rather than visual style.
-
literary
rakish
Fits when a tilted, unconventional, slightly roguish look is accurate
Careful Rakish suggests disreputability or sexual charm absent from jaunty.
-
literary
Fits when light lively movement creates the appeal
Careful Sprightly can sound old-fashioned and age-coded.
Opposites 3
- somber
- drab
- diffident
Common phrases 3
-
jaunty hat
A jaunty hat completed the conductor's festival costume.
-
jaunty tune
The jaunty tune used syncopation without becoming hurried.
-
jaunty angle
She pinned the flower at a jaunty angle above the pocket.
Word family 2
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Jaunty can imply that someone is breezy about a serious matter.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated