DAINTY (daintier, daintiest)
Dictionary entry overview: What does dainty mean?
• DAINTY (noun)
The noun DAINTY has 1 sense:
1. something considered choice to eat
Familiarity information: DAINTY used as a noun is very rare.
• DAINTY (adjective)
The adjective DAINTY has 4 senses:
1. affectedly dainty or refined
2. delicately beautiful
3. especially pleasing to the taste
4. excessively fastidious and easily disgusted
Familiarity information: DAINTY used as an adjective is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
• DAINTY (noun)
Meaning:
Something considered choice to eat
Classified under:
Nouns denoting foods and drinks
Synonyms:
dainty; goody; kickshaw; treat; delicacy
Hypernyms ("dainty" is a kind of...):
aliment; alimentation; nourishment; nutriment; nutrition; sustenance; victuals (a source of materials to nourish the body)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dainty"):
choice morsel; tidbit; titbit (a small tasty bit of food)
savory; savoury (an aromatic or spicy dish served at the end of dinner or as an hors d'oeuvre)
confection; sweet (a food rich in sugar)
ambrosia; nectar ((classical mythology) the food and drink of the gods; mortals who ate it became immortal)
gelatin; jelly (an edible jelly (sweet or pungent) made with gelatin and used as a dessert or salad base or a coating for foods)
bone marrow; marrow (very tender and very nutritious tissue from marrowbones)
• DAINTY (adjective)
Meaning:
Affectedly dainty or refined
Synonyms:
dainty; mincing; niminy-piminy; prim; twee
Similar:
refined ((used of persons and their behavior) cultivated and genteel)
Meaning:
Delicately beautiful
Synonyms:
dainty; exquisite
Context examples:
a dainty teacup / an exquisite cameo
Similar:
delicate (exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury)
Meaning:
Especially pleasing to the taste
Context examples:
a dainty dish to set before a kind / a tasty morsel
Similar:
tasty (pleasing to the sense of taste)
Meaning:
Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted
Synonyms:
squeamish; overnice; prissy; nice; dainty
Context examples:
too nice about his food to take to camp cooking / so squeamish he would only touch the toilet handle with his elbow
Similar:
fastidious (giving careful attention to detail; hard to please; excessively concerned with cleanliness)
