1
: lacking in divine grace : immoral, unregenerate
2
a
: lacking a sense of propriety
a graceless accusation
b
: devoid of attractive qualities
3
: artistically inept or unbeautiful
graceless dancing
gracelessly
adverb
gracelessness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of graceless in a Sentence
Her writing can be graceless and awkward at times.
a graceless person who was a butterfingered lout when it came to playing basketball
Recent Examples on the Web
Now that the exquisite corpse of a project, too, is complete, the upshot is graceless but surprisingly satisfying.
—
Curbed, 27 July 2022
The third season, like its predecessors, sometimes relies on graceless provocations that never mature in a way that advances the story.
—Yasmine Alsayyad, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2022
This month's unusually public firing of TV content chief Peter Rice stunned Hollywood insiders, aghast by what seemed a graceless breach of industry etiquette, and spooked Disney shareholders who knocked the stock down nearly 4%.
—Nicole Gull McElroy, Fortune, 16 June 2022
Ali’s desperation breeds a painful solitude underscored by his initially graceless homecoming.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 May 2022
Shea Stadium is not Eden, and the picture of Tom and Nancy Seaver leaving its graceless precincts in tears did not immediately remind me of the Expulsion of Adam and Eve in the Brancacci Chapel.
—Harper's Magazine, 28 Sep. 2021
Lin tore down the graceless expansions, preserving only the shell of the original Lord & Hewlett building.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2021
Just look at all the graceless work enabled by pixels, all the dull and droning selfies, all the videos shot in portrait mode.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2020
The others are the Turbo S Sport Turismo, an extended-roof model that manages not to be completely graceless, and a pair of plug-in hybrids, the 4S E-Hybrid and 5.9-inch longer 4S E-Hybrid Executive.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 23 Sep. 2020
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Curbed, 27 July 2022
The third season, like its predecessors, sometimes relies on graceless provocations that never mature in a way that advances the story.
—Yasmine Alsayyad, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2022
This month's unusually public firing of TV content chief Peter Rice stunned Hollywood insiders, aghast by what seemed a graceless breach of industry etiquette, and spooked Disney shareholders who knocked the stock down nearly 4%.
—Nicole Gull McElroy, Fortune, 16 June 2022
Ali’s desperation breeds a painful solitude underscored by his initially graceless homecoming.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 May 2022
Shea Stadium is not Eden, and the picture of Tom and Nancy Seaver leaving its graceless precincts in tears did not immediately remind me of the Expulsion of Adam and Eve in the Brancacci Chapel.
—Harper's Magazine, 28 Sep. 2021
Lin tore down the graceless expansions, preserving only the shell of the original Lord & Hewlett building.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2021
Just look at all the graceless work enabled by pixels, all the dull and droning selfies, all the videos shot in portrait mode.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2020
The others are the Turbo S Sport Turismo, an extended-roof model that manages not to be completely graceless, and a pair of plug-in hybrids, the 4S E-Hybrid and 5.9-inch longer 4S E-Hybrid Executive.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 23 Sep. 2020
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'graceless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of graceless was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near graceless
Cite this Entry
“Graceless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graceless. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
graceless
adjective
grace·less
ˈgrā-sləs 
: having no grace, charm, or elegance
especially
: showing lack of feeling for what is fitting
graceless behavior
gracelessly
adverb
gracelessness
noun
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