graceful

adjective

grace·​ful ˈgrās-fəl How to pronounce graceful (audio)
: displaying grace (see grace entry 1 sense 3) in form or action : pleasing or attractive in line, proportion, or movement
a graceful dancer
gracefully adverb
gracefulness noun

Examples of graceful in a Sentence

He has become a very graceful dancer. the graceful movements of a ballerina She was a graceful young woman with delicate features. the long, graceful neck of a swan His writing is clear and graceful. There was no graceful way to say no to their offer. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Hello Adaptive Audio, Goodbye Adaptive Transparency The Adaptive Transparency mode that was originally available for the AirPods Pro lowered any transient sounds over 85dB in a graceful manner. Joe Hindy, PCMAG, 18 Sep. 2023 Enter Email Sign Up While these oddly graceful animals are closely related to elephants, manatees are often nicknamed sea cows and are known for a diet of seagrasses and marine plants. Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023 Director Adam Meggido — the real director — manages to make that climactic mayhem feel almost graceful, through some kind of mixture of choreography, crowd control and thrill-ride operation. Chris Willman, Variety, 22 Aug. 2023 This is excellent news for everyone who enjoys quenching their thirst with chasselas, the dry versions of which can be as graceful on their feet as Mikhail Baryshnikov in his prime. Michael Alberty | , oregonlive, 11 Aug. 2023 Maddalena’s brother Jacopo Giacopuzzi played it, more lushly than the composer did and with more graceful voicings. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023 The armchairs’ graceful frames don’t obstruct the view or flow between the living and dining rooms. Marni Elyse Katz, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2023 Also in the comments section, many of Travolta’s fans raved about how graceful Ella looked. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2023 Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders Credit him for (usually) being the graceful, public-facing leader of a franchise that took NFL turmoil to new depths since Rivera’s hiring in 2020. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'graceful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see grace entry 1

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of graceful was in 1557

Dictionary Entries Near graceful

Cite this Entry

“Graceful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graceful. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on graceful

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