Words of Positivity
Browse the A to Z index4,633 ENTRIES

Venust

adj.joyful, calmliterary

What it means

Beautiful, graceful, and elegant in appearance.

Reach for it when giving rare literary praise to graceful physical beauty

A venust arch framed the garden's quiet reflecting pool.

Choose between these

5
  • everyday

    beautiful

    broad appreciative language is best

    not when Beautiful does not specify grace or elegance.

  • warm

    graceful

    ease of line or movement leads

    not when Graceful may describe motion without striking beauty.

  • warm

    lovely

    gentle personal admiration suits the moment

    not when Lovely is familiar and less stately.

  • professional

    elegant

    refined simplicity and proportion matter

    not when Elegance can be intellectual or functional.

  • literary

    comely

    traditional restrained praise fits the voice

    not when Comely can sound archaic or objectifying.

Said against

3
  • ugly
  • awkward
  • ungainly

It naturally appears in

3
  • venust design

    The venust design joined a slender arch to quiet stonework.

  • venust figure

    A venust figure appeared in the mural's restored center.

  • venust proportions

    The pavilion's venust proportions rewarded a slow approach.

Where this comes from

Venust is rare and likely to interrupt general readers; graceful or elegant is usually clearer.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.