Standard Lemma guide

quaintness

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈkweɪntnəs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Cunning; craftiness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Skill, artfulness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Primness, fastidiousness, preciousness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The state or fact of being quaint; having old-fashioned charm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

strangeness as a consequence of being old fashioned

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • some words in her dialect had a charming quaintness

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unfamiliarity, strangeness

6

noun

Meaning 6

the quality of being quaint and old-fashioned

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she liked the old cottage; its quaintness was appealing

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: old-fashionedness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English quaint Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English quaintness From quaint + -ness.