exquisite means especially or extraordinarily fine or pleasing; exceptional. It carries an Arena rating of 1661, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, exquisite ranks #2,517 of 14,440 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,574 of 14,448 for Funniest Words, #2,592 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #3,931 of 14,297 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
exquisite is pronounced /ɪkˈskwɪzɪt/.
Why “exquisite” is a great word
Marked by an intense, often painful beauty born of meticulous artistry or rare, discriminating judgment, from Latin *exquīsītus*, perfect passive participle of *exquīrō*, from *ex-* ("out") + *quaerere* ("to seek"), meaning "carefully sought out." Unlike "beautiful," which offers general aesthetic pleasure without demanding rarity or meticulous origin, or "delicate," which emphasizes fragility and fineness of texture above all, "exquisite" insists on the labor of discernment—the quality of having been hunted down and elected from among lesser things. It is the piercing clarity of a perfectly cut gem, the unbearable tension in the final, held note of an aria, and the cruel geometry of frost on a dead leaf; each instance a small victory against the ordinary, proof that human attention, patiently applied, can still discover perfection hiding in the world.
Etymology
From Latin exquīsītus (“to be outsought”), perfect passive participle of exquīrō (“to outseek”).
adj
- Especially or extraordinarily fine or pleasing; exceptional.“They sell good coffee and pastries, but their chocolate is exquisite.”
- Carefully adjusted; precise; accurate; exact.
- Recherché; far-fetched; abstruse.
- Of special beauty or rare excellence.
- Exceeding; extreme; keen, in a bad or a good sense.“exquisite pain or pleasure”
- Of delicate perception or close and accurate discrimination; not easy to satisfy; exact; fastidious.“exquisite judgment, taste, or discernment”
noun
- Fop, dandy.“It is impossible to meet with a more finished coxcomb than a Broadway exquisite, or a “Broadway swell,” which is the designation attached to him on the spot.”
Words closest in meaning
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