EXQUISITE Synonyms: 183 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: When is 'rare' a more appropriate choice than 'exquisite'?

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

exquisite 1 of 2

adjective

ek-ˈskwi-zət

Definition of exquisite

as in intense

extreme in degree, power, or effect felt such exquisite anger at being betrayed by a so-called friend that she could hardly think straight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in elegant

having qualities that appeal to a refined taste exquisite pen-and-ink drawings of city scenes grace the walls of the formal restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in subtle

satisfying or pleasing because of fineness or mildness waiters at the wedding reception served exquisite hors d'oeuvres from silver trays

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

exquisite

2 of 2

noun

as in swell

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

slob
sloven

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

Unlike the first one, though, this features an exquisite metal body and a more elegant design reminiscent of some top-end BlackBerry phones of yore. — New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026 As wealthy merchants built holiday homes along Lake Como, and hoteliers followed, these local makers and more helped turn them into exquisite places to stay. — Ondine Cohane, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026

Noun

The roughly three-hour, 16-course menu at Sushi by SYC features exquisite takes on classics like Hamachi crudo, wagyu nigiri and live spot prawn. — Colin Wrenn, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025 This year, Carol Kane — the chimeric renaissance woman, eternal ingenue, muse to visionaries from Sidney Lumet to Cindy Sherman — rose from the rubble, a mirage made real, in Nathan Silver's exquisite Between the Temples. — Ew Staff, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for exquisite

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exquisite

Adjective

Utilities have raised rates to pay for wildfire prevention and recovery as climate change has made the blazes more intense and frequent.

— Sophie Austin, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
Electrolyte beverages can help replenish hydration after an intense workout or stomach bug.

— Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of intense

Adjective

Yeah, just continue and figure out elegant ways to catch up with everyone, like catch up with what’s been happening in the last year.

— Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
The couple recently tied the knot in an elegant ceremony in Sicily at the historic Villa Valguarnera near Palermo on June 6, after officially marrying in London’s Marylebone Town Hall in advance.

— Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of elegant

Adjective

Greenspan was renowned for his formidable data-crunching capabilities, sharp reading of market psychology, and subtle, often elusive communication style.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
The cabin interiors are built from a lovely blonde wood, which was aesthetically pleasing, if a little creaky at times, while the white linens on the comfortable queen bed were a subtle reminder that this is a luxury accommodation.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of subtle

Noun

But Yates' story didn't elicit the same swell of empathy as Lindsay Clancy's has today.

— Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Like a massive ocean swell, which can bear all kinds of flotsam and jetsam ashore, a political wave that is big enough, broad enough and strong enough can carry all manner of unlikely candidates to victory.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of swell

Adjective

By the twentieth century, intensive farming practices had left the South dangerously vulnerable to erosion, producing depleted swaths of land where kudzu would later flourish.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
The next day, Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse and a lifelong Catholic, was shot and killed by federal agents.

— Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of intensive

Adjective

In a rare move, the chipmaker provided a revenue growth outlook for fiscal 2028 that forecast annual sales to increase 70% from the prior year.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Within the Milky Way, astronomers have so far identified roughly 100 stellar stream candidates shed by globular clusters, but finding one around another galaxy is extraordinarily rare.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of rare

Adjective

Marcus called the procedure an important first step toward reducing risks during delicate brain operations.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Elordi’s soft-spoken performance, paired with his delicate and awkward features, provides a nice contrast with Brolin’s tree-stump obduracy.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of delicate

Noun

Many of the blades made late in the war were rushed through production, and many slipped through that were too brittle or too soft.

— David Szondy August 30, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Single-crystal turbine blades remove the grain boundaries found inside ordinary metals.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of blade

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expurgating

exquisite

exquisiteness

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“Exquisite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exquisite. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of exquisite

adjective

noun

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