— exquisitely , adv. — exquisiteness , n.
/ik skwiz"it, ek"skwi zit/ , adj.
1. of special beauty or charm, or rare and appealing excellence, as a face, a flower, coloring, music, or poetry.
2. extraordinarily fine or admirable; consummate: exquisite weather.
3. intense; acute, or keen, as pleasure or pain.
4. of rare excellence of production or execution, as works of art or workmanship: the exquisite statues of the Renaissance.
5. keenly or delicately sensitive or responsive: an exquisite ear for music; an exquisite sensibility.
6. of particular refinement or elegance, as taste, manners, etc., or persons.
7. carefully sought out, chosen, ascertained, devised, etc.
n.
8. Archaic. a person, esp. a man, who is excessively concerned about clothes, grooming, etc.; dandy; coxcomb.
[ 1400-50; late ME exquisitus meticulous, chosen with care, orig. ptp. of exquirere to ask about, examine = ex- EX- 1 + -quirere , comb. form of quaerere to seek ]
Syn. 1. dainty, beautiful, elegant, rare. See delicate. 2. perfect, matchless. See fine 1 . 3. poignant. 4. select, choice, precious. 6. discriminating.
Ant. 1. gross. 2. ordinary. 3. dull.
Pronunciation . The pronunciation of EXQUISITE has undergone a rapid change from /ek"skwi zit/ to /ik skwiz"it/ , with stress shifting to the second syllable. The newer pronunciation is still criticized by some, but is now more common in both the U.S. and England, and many younger educated speakers are not even aware of the older one. See harass .