1
[ adjective ] suggestive of an elf in strangeness and otherworldliness

Synonyms

fey

Examples

"thunderbolts quivered with elfin flares of heat lightning" "the fey quality was there, the ability to see the moon at midday"- John Mason Brown

Related terms

supernatural

2
[ adjective ] small and delicate

Synonyms

elflike

Examples

"she was an elfin creature--graceful and delicate" "obsessed by things elfin and small"

Used in print

(Tristram Coffin, Not to the Swift....)

The nude was small and black-haired and elfin , and was called `` Eloise '' .

Related terms

small

3
[ adjective ] relating to or made or done by or as if by an elf

Examples

"elfin bells" "all the little creatures joined in the elfin dance"

Related terms

elf

4
[ adjective ] usually good-naturedly mischievous

Synonyms

elvish elfish

Examples

"perpetrated a practical joke with elfin delight" "elvish tricks"

Related terms

playful

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