1
: smart elegance and sophistication especially of dress or manner : style
wears her clothes with superb chic
2
: a distinctive mode of dress or manner associated with a fashionable lifestyle, ideology, or pursuit
wearing the latest in urban chic
New Age chic
3
: a faddishly popular quality or appeal
also
: something (such as a practice or interest) having such appeal
the transient tides of academic chic —
Irving Kristol
Irving Kristol
chicer; chicest
1
: cleverly stylish : smart
the woman who is chic adapts fashion to her own personality—Elizabeth L. Post
Elizabeth L. Post2
: currently fashionable
a chic restaurant
chic boutiques
chicly
adverb
chicness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of chic in a Sentence
Noun
It's the height of chic this year.
mockumentaries are the latest filmmaking chic
Adjective
The café has a chic new look.
a chic new hairstyle that makes her look very sophisticated
Recent Examples on the WebLogan Carter / Jalopnik, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
Long before the words quiet luxury were ever uttered, The Row established itself as the archetype of anonymous chic.
—Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
The event, which is currently known as Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, is also known for its bold street style, with guests seen sporting everything from gothic chic to quirky Lolita-style fashion.
—CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
This collection is a harmonious blend of classic finesse and contemporary chic, offering everything from suave suits that command the room's attention to leisure pieces that embody effortless sophistication.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024
Not to say what Winslet recounts isn’t compelling: becoming a famous woman in the ’90s era of waif-like chic was nothing short of harrowing.
—Longreads, 8 Mar. 2024
What happens when a fashion house outlives its founder?
Paris Fashion Week has always centered designers from around the world, offering a creative vision of French chic from an outsider perspective, from German designer Karl Lagerfeld to Japanese creatives including Yohji Yamamoto.
—Alice Pfeiffer, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024
Elena’s outfits — a kind of Alpine-totalitarian chic — convey sexuality intertwined with fearsomeness.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
The look is also related (a cousin, maybe) to geek chic, which has been embraced by Kaia Gerber, Sydney Sweeney, and Hunter Schafer, among others, according to Vogue.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 27 Feb. 2024
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2024
Her collection of photos and videos featured shots of herself looking chic while out and about, dressed in a leather trench coat and stilettos, and dining at the Manhattan hot-spot Altro Paradiso.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
This chic denim style with a slim fit is treated like tailoring with its precision for crisp lines that will elevate just about anything.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 9 Apr. 2024
From an urban chic style to looks for the day and summer nights, the classic codes are rethought in order to emphasize the creative dynamism of the founder of the brand in an event that saw fashion and art celebrated in the Italian capital.
—Pino Gagliardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Pair it with skinny jeans and mules for an effortlessly chic look or a colorful, pleated midi skirt for a more elegant take.
—Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2024
Knitted poufs are practically required in boho chic living rooms, while squiggly mirrors are a natural evolution of the spray-foam creations that went viral during the pandemic.
—Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s a chic black tag sewn on the inside with the signature of Mexican-American haute couture milliner Gladys Tamez.
—Bryan West, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Queen Elsa from Frozen would absolutely be jealous of this chilly chic look.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
The rear seats cocoon occupants in plush blue leather seats, and the Apollo’s reading lamps look like a hilarious afterthought, but are also somehow mid-century modern chic.
—Logan Carter / Jalopnik, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
Long before the words quiet luxury were ever uttered, The Row established itself as the archetype of anonymous chic.
—Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2024
The event, which is currently known as Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, is also known for its bold street style, with guests seen sporting everything from gothic chic to quirky Lolita-style fashion.
—CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
This collection is a harmonious blend of classic finesse and contemporary chic, offering everything from suave suits that command the room's attention to leisure pieces that embody effortless sophistication.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024
Not to say what Winslet recounts isn’t compelling: becoming a famous woman in the ’90s era of waif-like chic was nothing short of harrowing.
—Longreads, 8 Mar. 2024
What happens when a fashion house outlives its founder?
Paris Fashion Week has always centered designers from around the world, offering a creative vision of French chic from an outsider perspective, from German designer Karl Lagerfeld to Japanese creatives including Yohji Yamamoto.
—Alice Pfeiffer, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024
Elena’s outfits — a kind of Alpine-totalitarian chic — convey sexuality intertwined with fearsomeness.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
The look is also related (a cousin, maybe) to geek chic, which has been embraced by Kaia Gerber, Sydney Sweeney, and Hunter Schafer, among others, according to Vogue.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 27 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The perennially chic actor took a stroll in New York yesterday in a denim iteration of office-friendly suiting.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 10 Apr. 2024
Her collection of photos and videos featured shots of herself looking chic while out and about, dressed in a leather trench coat and stilettos, and dining at the Manhattan hot-spot Altro Paradiso.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
This chic denim style with a slim fit is treated like tailoring with its precision for crisp lines that will elevate just about anything.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 9 Apr. 2024
From an urban chic style to looks for the day and summer nights, the classic codes are rethought in order to emphasize the creative dynamism of the founder of the brand in an event that saw fashion and art celebrated in the Italian capital.
—Pino Gagliardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Pair it with skinny jeans and mules for an effortlessly chic look or a colorful, pleated midi skirt for a more elegant take.
—Wendy Vazquez, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2024
Knitted poufs are practically required in boho chic living rooms, while squiggly mirrors are a natural evolution of the spray-foam creations that went viral during the pandemic.
—Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s a chic black tag sewn on the inside with the signature of Mexican-American haute couture milliner Gladys Tamez.
—Bryan West, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Queen Elsa from Frozen would absolutely be jealous of this chilly chic look.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near chic
Cite this Entry
“Chic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chic. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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