Meaning & use
ultra-chic
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableapproving
Extremely stylish and fashionable, in a polished and up-to-date way.
Grammar: Works before a noun or after a linking verb: an ultra-chic hotel, or the hotel is ultra-chic.
Patterns
- ultra-chic something
They opened an ultra-chic cafe with marble tables and tiny glass lamps.
She arrived in an ultra-chic black coat that looked effortless.
The magazine named the ultra-chic neighborhood its top destination for design lovers.
Common combinations
- ultra-chic boutique
- We browsed an ultra-chic boutique near the river.
- ultra-chic restaurant
- The ultra-chic restaurant had a six-week waiting list.
- ultra-chic look
- The designer's ultra-chic look dominated the runway.
- ultra-chic interior
- Their ultra-chic interior featured pale wood and brass.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fashionable
- Fashionable is broader and milder, while ultra-chic suggests a refined and slightly exclusive stylishness.
- stylish
- Stylish simply praises good style, whereas ultra-chic pushes it to an extreme of elegance.
- trendy
- Trendy points to following current fads and can sound slightly dismissive, unlike the more elegant ultra-chic.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: ultra-chic or shabby chic?
ultra-chic vs shabby chic
Shabby chic is a deliberately worn, vintage-looking decorating style, which is quite different from sleek ultra-chic design.
Practice
Which phrase best describes a hotel with sleek design, famous guests and a rooftop bar?
Choose one answer.
Ultra-chic means extremely stylish, which fits a polished, fashionable hotel. Outdated and run-down suggest the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ultra-chic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.