Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments
'Urbane,' 'incisive,' 'toothsome,' and other good things to be
Definition:
notably polite or polished in manner
Example:
"At first, I was a little thrown by the subtitle of Adam Gopnik’s new book, 'The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery.' Since Gopnik, a longtime staff writer at The New Yorker, has written so urbanely on what seems like every aspect of human creation but in particular those creations called art, I assumed that the mystery he wanted to investigate would be that of the mastery displayed by our most bravura artists."
— Adam Thirwell, The New York Times, 14 Mar. 2023
About the Word:
Would you rather be urbane or suave? Here's the difference: urbane typically suggests composed cultivation and wide social experience, while suave tends to emphasize smooth frictionless dealings.
Urbane and urban both come from the Latin urbanus, meaning "of the city; refined."
Definition:
very clear and direct : able to explain difficult ideas clearly and confidently
Example:
"Vic Warnie will be turning in his grave. It would have been intriguing to hear forthright, insightful and incisive commentary from the best captain the Australian cricket team never had."
— (letter to the editor) The Australian (Canberra, Australia), 21 Feb. 2023
About the Word:
The incisive person cuts through things and gets to the point. The original meaning of incisive, from around 1600, was "having a cutting edge or piercing point." Incisive and the cutting incisor teeth are related.
Definition:
having or showing perception, comprehension, or shrewdness especially in practical matters
Example:
"In today's world, Gen Z is highly connected and digitally savvy but still requiring guidance."
— Anita Hanks, Montessori Life (New York, NY), Winter 2023
About the Word:
Savvy emerged in the late 1700s as a verb ("Do you savvy?" means "Do you understand?") and a noun ("political savvy" means "political know-how"). It took more than a century to develop into an adjective used to describe people. Like savant, it comes from the Latin sapere, "to be wise."
Definition:
having or showing an ability to understand difficult ideas and situations and to make good decisions
Example:
"Dr. Manjushree, a distinguished astrologer hailing from Guwahati, Assam, boasts an impressive acumen in the field of astrology. The erudite sage is often called upon to analyze horoscopes and provide sagacious counsel to the masses."
— The Hindustan Times, (New Delhi, Ind.), 23 Mar. 2023
About the Word:
The earliest, 17th century sense of sagacious was applied to people (or animals): "quick or keen in sense perceptions." Over time, the meaning of the word shifted and became high praise for the human intellect.
Definition:
feeling no fear : very bold or brave
Example:
"When our intrepid reporter interviewed globally renowned relationship expert, Esther Perel, she didn’t expect an hour-long counselling session. But that’s exactly what she got."
— Sunday Telegraph (Surry Hills, Aus.), 19 Mar. 2023
About the Word:
Intrepid shares an ancestor with trepidation (from the Latin word trepidare, "to tremble") - but the in- prefix negates the trembling and fear.
Definition:
having or showing a generous and kind nature
Example:
"It is not too late to change course. As the sitting head of state, William Ruto has a duty to be magnanimous and bend over backwards for the sake of stability. He should show leadership by taking the initiative to wave the olive branch."
— The East African (Nairobi, Ken.), 25 Mar. 2023
About the Word:
A magnanimous person shows great spirit, and the word itself refers to those qualities: magnanimous comes from the Latin magnus, "great" + animus, "spirit."
Definition:
having great charm or appeal
Example:
"Allen has a life expectancy of exactly four scenes at this point, because there's a pretty girl with him and absolutely nothing is going to get in the way of a romantic sub-plot. Not even the fact that both she, Maya, and Jason are as charismatic as decapitated Ken and Barbie dolls."
— Richard Cobbett, PC Gamer, 11 Feb. 2023
About the Word:
Charismatic has a religious meaning as well. As a noun, "charismatic" refers to a member of a group or movement that stresses the seeking of direct divine inspiration and charisms. A charism is an extraordinary power (e.g. healing) given to a Christian by the Holy Spirit for the good of the church. Charismatic healing is often called "faith healing."
The secular and religious senses of charismatic both come from the Greek charis, meaning "grace."
Definition:
feeling or showing concern for someone who is sick, hurt, poor, etc.
Example:
"So, bring on your questions, doubts, uncertainties, concerns, and feelings if that is part of a process that helps you get to a more level, grounded, centered, peaceful and compassionate place."
— Reno Gazette-Journal (Reno, NV), 26 Mar. 2023
About the Word:
The original meaning of "passion" referred to the sufferings of Jesus ("the Passion of Christ"), and compassionate once meant "calling forth pity." Nowadays, compassionate implies tenderness and understanding, and a desire to aid and spare another.
Definition:
able to work or continue for a very long time without becoming tired : tireless
Example:
"The indefatigable Michaels just returned from an '80s-themed cruise where he loved playing bartender (Coke and whiskey or vodka and cranberry juice are his simple specialties) as much as playing music."
— Melissa Ruggieri, The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), 26 Mar. 2023
About the Word:
The grandeur of this word has long been recognized (and enhanced) by the British Royal Navy, which used the word indefatigable to name a class of battle cruisers in World War I.
Definition:
having or showing courage : very brave or courageous
Example:
"Garrett Turner makes a valiant attempt to amplify the man, but that’s difficult to accomplish when the character is one note.
— Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), 17 Mar. 2023
About the Word:
Hal Foster's classic comic strip Prince Valiant (in full, Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur) rightly suggests that valiant might be an old word. Valiant dates to the days of Middle English and has its origins in a Latin word meaning "to be strong."
Definition:
Agreeable; attractive
Example:
"Of course, I always smiled when I asked. I had a great and easy smile back then. I was a toothsome young man."
— Sterling HolyWhiteMountain, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2021
About the Word:
Toothsome has more than one meaning; in addition to its 'attractive' sense, the word may also be used to mean "delicious, of palatable flavor and pleasing texture." In recent years it has also begun to see occasional use with the meaning "having or showing prominent teeth," but it is uncertain if this sense will become widespread enough to merit an entry in the dictionary.
Definition:
Tender
Example:
"Solskjær’s side are too ruthful in attack and defence, but can offset these weaknesses by dominating opponents in midfield."
— The Guardian (London, Eng.), 1 Jan. 2021
About the Word:
The most obvious meaning that ruthful has is "full of ruth" (and _ruth in this case means "pity, mercy, or compassion"). However, ruthful can also mean "full of sorrow," or "causing sorrow"; so while you may use it as a compliment you should also take care to ensure that it is not misinterpreted.
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