20 elegant English words for your vocab-hoard

 Phonaesthetics - spelt phonesthetics in America - is the study of beauty and pleasantness associated with the sounds of certain words or parts of words. The term was first used in this sense, perhaps by J. R. R. Tolkien, during the mid-twentieth century and derives from the Greek phōnḗ, "voice" or "sound" and “aisthētikḗ”, "aesthetics". Speech sounds have many aesthetic qualities, some of which are subjectively regarded as euphonious (pleasing) or cacophonous (displeasing).

Here is a list of 20 elegant and pleasant sounding English words. These are my personal choice. Out of the 20 Vellichor tops my list due to the emotions it is associated with. Expand your Vocab-hoard with these 20 elegant English words to impress and express.

Check out interesting facts about Petrichor and 12 other interesting English words.

1. Akimbo - Adverb, Adjective

Adverb - with hands on the hips and elbows turned outwards.

Adjective - (used of arms and legs) bent outward with the joint away from the body.

Avni stood there akimbo. (Adverb).

Avni stood with arms akimbo. (Adjective).

2. Azure – Adjective, Noun

Adjective - bright blue in colour like a cloudless sky.

Noun - a bright blue colour.

Cottony clouds raced across the azure sky. (Adjective).

Azure curtains decorated the great hall. (Noun).

3. Ebullience – Noun

full of energy, highly enthusiastic

Vijay enetered the room with his usual ebullience.

4. Elegant - Adjective

graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.

5. Ephemeral - Adjective

lasting for a very short time.

Slang words are most of the times ephemeral.

6. Equanimity – Noun

calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation.

Sportspersons need to maintain equanimity at all times.

7. Euphoria – Noun

a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness.

8. Exquisite - Adjective

delicately beautiful.

My friend’s shop has a collection of exquisite Blue Pottery.

9. Gossamer – Noun

sheer, filmy, delicate in appearance.

 the beautiful butterfly has gossamer wings.

 10. Idyllic – Adjective

like an idyll; extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque.

I am planning to buy a farmhouse in an idyllic location.

11. Iridescent - Adjective

showing luminous colours that seem to change when seen from different angles.

The sky was a display of iridescent colours during sunset.

The peacock’s feathers blinked in iridescent glory of colours.

12. Mellifluous - Adjective (of a sound)

pleasingly smooth and musical to hear.

Reena has a sweet, mellifluous voice just like her mother’s.

13. Panacea - Noun

a solution for all problems,

There is no panacea for the country's economic problems.

14. Panoply - Noun

an extensive or impressive collection.

As a numismatist, I have a panoply of coins.

15. Pristine - Adjective

unspoilt; in its original condition.

The house we rented is in pristine condition.

 16. Serendipity - Noun

finding something nice while looking for something else.

When I went to my cousin’s marriage, I met my husband by serendipity.

Let’s not get confused between serendipity and luck.

The main difference is that one can have bad luck, but not bad serendipity says Reynaldo C. Lugtu, Jr. in his article Luck or Serendipity? in The Manila Times.

17. Silhouette - Noun

the dark shape and outline of someone or something visible in restricted light against a brighter background.

Silhouette can be beautiful or scary.

Silhouette of a dancing girl can make a lovely picture.

On the other hand seeing a silhouette from behind a locked window can be really spooky. 

18. Sumptuous – Adjective

splendid and expensive-looking.

The bride and the groom were dressed in sumptuous finery.

19. Tranquil - Adjective

free from disturbance; calm.

His tranquil summer home always brings out the best of his writing.

20. Vellichor – Noun

The sense of vellichor overwhelmed me when I entered the old book store filled with wonderful books.

Coined on the internet in 2013 on a site called The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.

https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/post/57250260260/vellichoria

Vellichor as defined in the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.

The strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time—filled with thousands of old books you’ll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were captured.