svelte

IPA/svelt/
KK[svˈɛlt]IPA/svelt/

svelte — adjective

  • sveltepositive
  • sveltercomparative
  • sveltestsuperlative

1. having a thin, attractive body that moves gracefully and looks stylish

1.形容詞C1
釋義

having a thin, attractive body that moves gracefully and looks stylish

例句

Soraya, a svelte woman in her forties, ran the boutique with quiet authority.

attributive use: svelte + noun (woman)

After a year of regular exercise, Niran looked svelte and confident in his new suit.

predicative use: look + svelte

同義詞
  • slender

    more neutral and common; emphasises thinness without the stylish elegance of svelte

  • slim

    everyday word for thin; lacks the graceful-movement suggestion

  • lithe

    focuses on flexibility and easy movement rather than stylish appearance

  • willowy

    suggests tall, thin, and gracefully relaxed; more poetic than svelte

反義詞
  • plump

    opposite extreme — pleasantly round rather than slender

  • stocky

    solid and broad, not slender

文法句型

svelte + noun

be + svelte

look/become + svelte

用法筆記

This sense is almost always a compliment praising someone's overall elegant appearance, not their weight. Unlike thin or skinny, svelte implies that the person looks healthy, stylish, and graceful. It can be used for men or women.

常見錯誤

❌She is very svelte after being sick.
✅She looked svelte in her elegant evening gown.
💡svelte describes attractive, healthy thinness combined with style, not thinness caused by illness.
❌I want to become svelte for summer.
✅I want to become fit and svelte through regular exercise.
💡svelte is about appearance and grace, not just weight loss; pair it with the idea of health or style.

2. having a smooth, charming way of behaving in social situations, showing the ease

2.形容詞C1
釋義

having a smooth, charming way of behaving in social situations, showing the ease of someone comfortable in formal settings

例句

The svelte host moved from table to table, keeping conversations alive with easy charm.

attributive use: svelte + noun (host)

With his svelte manner, the museum director made every visitor feel like an old friend.

prepositional phrase: with + svelte + noun

同義詞
  • suave

    emphasises smooth, charming, sometimes slightly polished-flirtatious manner; more common than svelte

  • urbane

    focuses on worldly sophistication and city-bred polish

  • polished

    more general; suggests refined manners gained through training or experience

反義詞
  • awkward

    lacking the social ease that svelte implies

  • gauche

    socially clumsy or tactless, the opposite of refined

  • unsophisticated

    lacking the worldly experience svelte suggests

文法句型

svelte + noun

be + svelte

用法筆記

Restricted to formal or literary descriptions of social manner. Not used in everyday conversation about ordinary people. Distinguish from sense 1 by checking whether the topic is body shape (sense 1) or social behaviour and charm (sense 2).

常見錯誤

❌My friend is svelte at parties.
✅The ambassador was a svelte presence at diplomatic dinners.
💡the social refinement sense belongs in formal contexts, not casual chat about friends.
❌She wore a svelte dress to the meeting.
✅She looked svelte in her dress at the meeting.
💡if you mean the dress itself is stylish, use 'elegant' or 'sleek'; svelte describes the person, not the clothing.