Standard Lemma guide

svelte

adj · 5 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.

  • rhymes with -ɛlt
  • /ˈsvɛlt/
  • /ˈsfɛlt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S V EH1 L T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Attractively thin; gracefully slender.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Refined, delicate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

being of delicate or slender build- Frank Norris

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she was slender as a willow shoot is slender
  • a slim girl with straight blonde hair
  • watched her slight figure cross the street

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: slender, slight, slim

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

moving and bending with ease

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lissome, lissom, lithe, lithesome, slender, supple, sylphlike

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • his polished manner
  • maintained an urbane tone in his letters

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: polished, refined, urbane

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French svelte, from Italian svelto (“stretched out”), past participle of svellere (“to pluck out, root out”), from Vulgar Latin *exvellere, from ex + vellere (“to pluck, stretch”).

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مَمْشُوق (mamšūq) — attractively thin, slender
  • Arabic: رَشِيق (rašīq) — attractively thin, slender
  • Bulgarian: строен (stroen) — attractively thin, slender
  • Bulgarian: грациозен (graciozen) — attractively thin, slender
  • Chinese Cantonese: 苗條 /苗条 (miu4 tiu5) — attractively thin, slender
  • Chinese Cantonese: 苗條 /苗条 (miu4 tiu4) — attractively thin, slender
  • Czech: štíhlý — attractively thin, slender
  • Danish: slank — attractively thin, slender
  • Dutch: slank — attractively thin, slender
  • Dutch: rank — attractively thin, slender
  • Finnish: hento — attractively thin, slender
  • German: grazil — attractively thin, slender
  • German: schlank — attractively thin, slender
  • Greek: σβέλτος (svéltos) — attractively thin, slender
  • Hungarian: karcsú — attractively thin, slender
  • Irish: seangchruthach — attractively thin, slender
  • Italian: snello — attractively thin, slender
  • Italian: slanciato — attractively thin, slender
  • Plautdietsch: schlank — attractively thin, slender
  • Polish: smukły — attractively thin, slender
  • Polish: wysmukły — attractively thin, slender
  • Portuguese: esbelto — attractively thin, slender
  • Russian: стро́йный (strójnyj) — attractively thin, slender
  • Russian: ги́бкий (gíbkij) — attractively thin, slender
  • Spanish: esbelto — attractively thin, slender
  • Swedish: slank — attractively thin, slender
  • Swedish: smärt — attractively thin, slender
  • Swedish: smäcker — attractively thin, slender
  • Bulgarian: изящен (izjašten) — refined, delicate
  • Finnish: hento — refined, delicate
  • Finnish: hienovarainen — refined, delicate
  • Polish: dystyngowany — refined, delicate
  • Polish: wytworny — refined, delicate
  • Polish: wyszukany — refined, delicate
  • Russian: изя́щный (izjáščnyj) — refined, delicate