suave means of a person, charming, though often in a manner that is insincere or sophisticated. It carries an Arena rating of 1796, earned across 25 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, suave ranks #654 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,797 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,958 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,167 of 42,747 for Qualifying.
suave is pronounced /swɑːv/.
Why “suave” is a great word
Charming, confident, and elegant in a smooth, polished, and superficially sophisticated manner. From Middle English suave, borrowed from Latin suāvis ("sweet, pleasant"), a doublet of sweet, first attested in English in the early 15th century. Unlike "urbane," which implies the cultivated worldliness of the city, or "bland," which denotes a vapid absence of character, suave is a personal and performative art of surface. It is the uncreased drape of a silk suit, the practiced flash of a smile that never reveals too much, the effortless pivot of a conversation away from conflict—the careful management of all sharp edges into a pleasing, and ultimately untouchable, curve.
Etymology
From Middle English suave, borrowed from Latin suāvis (“sweet, pleasant”); doublet of sweet. First attested in the early 15th century.
adj
- Of a person, charming, though often in a manner that is insincere or sophisticated.e.g.“a man with a suave demeanor”
- Displaying smoothness and sophistication.e.g.“suave excellence”
- Gracious, kind.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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