elegance
elegance — noun
1. a graceful, stylish quality of movement, appearance, or behaviour that makes som
a graceful, stylish quality of movement, appearance, or behaviour that makes someone or something attractive to look at or be with.
Devika moved across the dance floor with the natural elegance of a trained ballet dancer.
collocation: natural elegance
The simple white dress had a quiet elegance that made it perfect for the wedding.
collocation: quiet elegance
Jiwoo admired the elegance of the old teahouse, with its clean lines and soft lighting.
There was an elegance to her writing style that made even ordinary stories feel special.
Everyone noticed the elegance of Apinya's apology — she was sincere without being dramatic.
- grace
emphasises smoothness of movement or form; elegance adds a sense of refined taste
- refinement
focuses on cultivated, polished manners or taste; elegance can be more natural
- sophistication
can imply worldliness or complexity; elegance suggests restrained good taste
- style
broader — any distinctive manner or way of presenting oneself; elegance specifically implies tastefulness
- clumsiness
the opposite of graceful movement or behaviour
- gaudiness
excessive showiness that lacks the restraint of elegance
文法句型
elegance + of + something
adjective + elegance
用法筆記
Often used with adjectives like quiet, natural, understated, or classical. The noun is uncountable — you cannot say 'an elegance' or 'elegances.'
常見錯誤
2. a quality of being smartly designed or thought out, so that a plan, idea, or tec
a quality of being smartly designed or thought out, so that a plan, idea, or technical solution solves a problem in a surprisingly simple and effective way.
The elegance of Haruto's solution was that it used only three lines of code.
elegance + of + [abstract: solution]
Darius admired the elegance of the architect's design — one simple curve solved the weight problem.
elegance + of + [design]
There is a certain elegance in the way this mathematical proof connects two unrelated ideas.
What I love about the plan is its elegance: it improves safety without raising costs.
Adaeze explained the elegance of the new system by showing how it removed three unnecessary steps.
- simplicity
lacks the cleverness aspect; elegance = simple + effective
- ingenuity
emphasises cleverness; elegance also requires neatness and restraint
- neatness
only covers the tidy, organised aspect without the cleverness
- cleverness
focuses on smart thinking; elegance demands simplicity too
- clumsiness
an awkward, inefficient solution that lacks neatness
- complexity
unnecessary complication that defeats the purpose of elegant design
文法句型
elegance + of + [abstract noun: solution/proof/design]
用法筆記
Common in academic and technical writing. The subject is typically an abstract concept (solution, proof, design, system) rather than a person's appearance or behaviour — this helps distinguish it from sense 1.