Used in stories to refer to a young man in love, usually more poetic and old-fashioned. The swain serenaded her under the moonlight.
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Old-Fashioned Use
Understand it's rarely used in modern conversation, but you might encounter it in classic literature. Every classic novel had a swain chasing after the heroine.
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Literary and Dramatic
Often appears in plays, poems, or novels, not in everyday language. The play's swain won the audience's sympathy.