gamine

1 of 2

noun

ga·​mine ga-ˈmēn How to pronounce gamine (audio)
ˈga-ˌmēn
1
: a girl who hangs around on the streets
2
: a small playfully mischievous girl

gamine

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or suggesting a gamine

Examples of gamine in a Sentence

Noun a movie about a French gamine
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Other menswear moments had a ‘gamine garçon’ mood and included a louche shirt and vest with tailored pants or a simple khaki suit and white shirt look. Roxanne Robinson, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Short and gamine, he name-checks influencer Niamh Adkins as someone who makes the mixie cut look great. Hannah Coates, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2023 Whether sophisticated and androgynous or soft and gamine, the best pixie cut can be adapted and styled to suit any individual mood. Tish Weinstock, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2023 Young girls still model themselves after her gamine look. Town & Country, 28 June 2023 Though disparate at first glance, both models prioritized the gamine sophistication synonymous with Paris—even if the city's aesthetic exists only in our collective imagination. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 27 June 2023 First, gamine black trousers, a black sleeveless turtleneck, a little black sweater tied around her shoulders, a black cloth headband (very Brigitte Bardot), and black sunglasses. Sarah Spellings, Vogue, 26 June 2023 The woman caught within the frame is part gamine, gun moll. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Mar. 2023 Her gamine urgency and warmth lent an otherwise largely absent humanity to Godard’s films. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2022
Adjective
Here, the riding jacket was a key theme, constructed in gleaming silken tweeds above gamine miniskirts and youthful skorts. Thomas Adamson, ajc, 24 Jan. 2023 Orton, a gamine-ish fifty-one, who lives with her family in London, had dressed sensibly for November in New York. John Seabrook, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2022 These women found Highsmith’s gamine attractiveness as irresistible as the camera does and her implacable character no less so. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022 Earle, a gamine eighty-six, has searching brown eyes and a smile that could illuminate the midnight zone, and has actually done so. Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022 Williams looked gamine with her signature pixie cut, single necklace, and natural makeup. Sarah Spellings, Vogue, 30 May 2022 Since it was released in 2007, the scent has become a modern classic associated with gamine girlishness and the whimsical side of the designer’s ready-to-wear. Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2022 Cale, whose Welsh intonations are a pleasure to listen to, and Tucker, whose granny fierceness in front of the camera now is a match for her gamine fierceness behind a drum kit then. BostonGlobe.com, 15 Oct. 2021 Her hourglass figure takes the place of Hepburn’s gamine frame. Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gamine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French, feminine derivative of gamin gamin

Adjective

borrowed from French, derivative of gamin, gamine gamin, gamine entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gamine was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near gamine

Cite this Entry

“Gamine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamine. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gamine

noun
ga·​mine
ga-ˈmēn
1
: a girl who hangs out on the streets
2
: a small playfully mischievous girl

More from Merriam-Webster on gamine

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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