Meaning & use
chic
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Elegant and fashionable in a relaxed, confident way, without looking showy or overdone.
Grammar: Can come before a noun (a chic dress) or after 'be' (she looked chic); comparative is 'chicer' or 'more chic'.
Patterns
- look chic
- a chic place
She arrived in a simple black dress that looked effortlessly chic.
They opened a chic little café near the river.
His apartment is small but very chic.
noununcountable
Stylish good taste, especially in clothes and design.
Grammar: Uncountable: Parisian chic, not 'a chic'.
Patterns
- with chic
- an air of chic
The shop sells Parisian chic at a fair price.
She dresses with a casual chic that others copy.
The hotel's lobby has a quiet chic.
Word forms
| comparative | chicer |
|---|---|
| superlative | chicest |
Common combinations
- effortlessly chic
- She always looks effortlessly chic.
- shabby chic
- The shop sells shabby chic furniture.
- urban chic
- The boutique offers urban chic.
- Parisian chic
- She wore a scarf in true Parisian chic.
- look chic
- Simple lines make the room look chic.
- radical chic
- The article mocked radical chic at the party.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stylish
- Stylish is the general word, while chic adds a sense of refined, understated taste.
- elegant
- Elegant suggests grace and polish, but chic is more about being current and fashionable.
- smart
- Smart in British English means neatly dressed, and is less fashion-conscious than chic.
- trendy
- Trendy means following the latest fashions and can sound short-lived, whereas chic suggests lasting good taste.
Opposites
Word family
- chicly adverb
- in a stylish way
- chicness noun
- the quality of being stylish
- chicer adjective
- more stylish
Commonly confused: chic or sheikh?
chic vs sheikh
Chic sounds like 'sheik' and 'sheikh', which are titles or the name of an Arab leader. Chic means stylish.
Practice
Her outfit was simple but looked ___.
Choose one answer.
Chic means stylish. Chick is a young bird, shriek is a scream and check is a mark or inspection.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.