quaintness

/ˈkweɪntnəs/

Other forms: quaintnesses

Quaintness is a quality of being sweetly old-fashioned and a little bit unusual. Although you find them a little creepy, you also appreciate the quaintness of the dolls in your grandma's collection.

Think of a charming bed and breakfast decorated in a whimsical style — its quaintness is what's special about it, setting it apart from sleek, modern hotel rooms. There's often a touch of eccentricity in quaintness, like the curious quaintness of a neighbor whose house is lit with oil lamps and who wears a long, flowing cape. The original meaning of quaintness, "proudness or cunning," is obsolete.

Definitions of quaintness

1. noun

   the quality of being quaint and old-fashioned
   “its quaintness was appealing”

   type of:

   old-fashionedness

   the property of being no longer fashionable
2. noun

   strangeness as a consequence of being old fashioned
   “some words in her dialect had a charming quaintness”

   type of:

   strangeness, unfamiliarity

   unusualness as a consequence of not being well known