exquisite 1 of 2

1
2
3

exquisite

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word exquisite different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of exquisite are choice, dainty, delicate, elegant, and rare. While all these words mean "having qualities that appeal to a cultivated taste," exquisite implies a perfection in workmanship or design that appeals only to very sensitive taste.

an exquisite gold bracelet

When could choice be used to replace exquisite?

While the synonyms choice and exquisite are close in meaning, choice stresses preeminence in quality or kind.

choice fabric

When can dainty be used instead of exquisite?

Although the words dainty and exquisite have much in common, dainty sometimes carries an additional suggestion of smallness and of appeal to the eye or palate.

dainty sandwiches

In what contexts can delicate take the place of exquisite?

The words delicate and exquisite are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, delicate implies exquisiteness, subtlety, and fragility.

delicate craftsmanship

Where would elegant be a reasonable alternative to exquisite?

The synonyms elegant and exquisite are sometimes interchangeable, but elegant applies to what is rich and luxurious but restrained by good taste.

a sumptuous but elegant dining room

When is rare a more appropriate choice than exquisite?

While in some cases nearly identical to exquisite, rare suggests an uncommon excellence.

rare beauty

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exquisite
Adjective
The result is a vivid, surprisingly varied range of bummers, both domestic and foreign, many of them exquisite in their stoic but not heartless dramatizations of a world out to get you, somehow, with forces of doom snaking through the narratives. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025 Jack Spicer, a severely melancholic California poet whose own death drive ended tragically, left us with exquisite Orphic car poems in his wake. Rosie Stockton may 29, Literary Hub, 29 May 2025
Noun
The outfits range from the exquisite to the amusing to the absurd, tracing San Francisco fashion from after the 1906 earthquake to the new century. Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024 Balcer would put her stamp on the game in another way 25 minutes later, delivering an exquisite through ball that launched Lavelle on a dash up the middle of the Gotham defense toward the tying goal. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2023 See All Example Sentences for exquisite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exquisite
Adjective
  • The faction's power grew with the shocking debut of Jacob Fatu, another member of the Anoa'i family known for his intense and destructive style in other promotions.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
  • Recognizing that gulf is a sad thing for her, and Huston holds Anderson’s intense close-ups with an expression both loving and rueful at once. 40.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • And Just Like That… is, for lack of a more elegant term, so goddamn weird this season.
    Emma Bocchi, Vogue, 6 June 2025
  • The newest model continues to fuse advanced materials with Japanese craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology to create a timepiece that is durable, precise and elegant.
    Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Your new album, Faith, is a lot subtler than your debut, Signs.
    Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
  • The family secrets were subtle but pervasive, reverberating not just through this nuclear family, but also across generations.
    Susan Walter June 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • In 2019, a year after swells of protests swept through universities in Chile, a group of women, many of them blindfolded, took over the streets of Valparaiso, a coastal city in the country, to dance and sing a song that would go on to become an anthem.
    Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 25 May 2025
  • The day passes uneventfully — though the swell makes waters choppy, guests are still able to enjoy the water toys.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Ware picked up all the cases while on intensive supervised release after serving three years and three months for aiding and abetting first-degree robbery out of Hennepin County.
    Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 6 June 2025
  • Russia used a Tu-160 in intensive overnight missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, Kyiv's air force said on Friday.
    Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Baugh’s cutting ability and wiggle at 6-foot ¾, 230 pounds are rare.
    Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2025
  • Rahmani said cases against protesters passing out supplies are rare but legally possible.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 14 June 2025
Adjective
  • The name angel pie gives a few of this dessert's secrets away: The crust is a super delicate meringue that's crisp on the outside but marshmallowy on the inside.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 8 June 2025
  • He was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, had delicate surgery and was sidelined 11 months.
    Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • The event kicked off with an opening dance, before the debutantes lined up for a waltz with their fathers, who were then passed onto their cavaliers for dancing with a live band.
    Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 1 Dec. 2024
  • Opal is described as a 5-pound red/brown cavapoo — a mix of a King Charles cavalier and a poodle.
    Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2024

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exquisite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exquisite. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on exquisite

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!