elegante
/eleˈɡante/
The English word 'elegant' is translated into Spanish as elegante.
elegante is used to describe someone or something that exhibits elegance. If you wish to use more formal terms, you can use sofisticado or refinado to describe elegance, refinement or polish. Additionally, the word distinguido can be used to mean distinguished.
Meaning: exhibiting elegance (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective elegante is gender-neutral, meaning it uses the same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. To agree with plural nouns, use the plural form elegantes.
How do you pronounce it?
/eleˈɡante/
Did you know?
- To describe someone as 'elegantly' dressed, Spanish speakers often use the phrase ir elegante instead of an adverb. The verb ir (to go) is used here to describe the state of wearing clothes.
- While elegante describes style, the phrase tener clase is often used to describe an innate, effortless elegance that cannot be bought. A person can be elegante in a fancy suit but still lack clase.
- The root of elegante comes from the Latin 'eligere', which means 'to choose'. This suggests that true elegance is about the ability to select the best or most appropriate things.
Examples in context
- Mary es una mujer muy elegante.Mary is a very elegant woman.This sentence is useful for describing a woman using elegante.Tatoeba #8011472 by Seael, translation #5850598 by CK
- Los Brown son una familia elegante y feliz.The Browns are an elegant and happy family.This sentence shows how to describe a family using elegante.Tatoeba #7949213 by Seael, translation #1126561 by AlanF_US
- Compré la mesa de caoba por ser la más elegante.I bought the mahogany table because it was the most elegant.This sentence demonstrates describing an object as the most elegant using elegante.Tatoeba #9695161 by Shishir, translation #9770387 by DJ_Saidez
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Javier are getting ready for a formal party.
- MaríaMira mi vestido, ¿crees que es elegante?Look at my dress, do you think it is elegant?
- JavierSí, María, te ves muy elegante hoy.Yes, María, you look very elegant today.
- MaríaGracias, Javier. Tu traje también es muy elegante.Thank you, Javier. Your suit is also very elegant.
- JavierGracias, ahora estamos listos para salir.Thank you, now we are ready to go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “elegant” translations and entries elegante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries elegante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
