gracious

adjective

gra·cious | \ ˈgrā-shəs

Definition of gracious

1a : marked by kindness and courtesy a gracious host

b : characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit, and the tasteful leisure of wealth and good breeding gracious living

c : graceful

d : marked by tact and delicacy : urbane

2 : merciful, compassionate —used conventionally of royalty and high nobility my gracious lord, the Duke of Windsor

3a archaic : pleasing, acceptable

b obsolete : godly

Other Words from gracious Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about gracious

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Choose the Right Synonym for gracious

gracious, cordial, affable, genial, sociable mean markedly pleasant and easy in social intercourse. gracious implies courtesy and kindly consideration. the gracious award winner thanked her colleagues cordial stresses warmth and heartiness. our host was cordial as he greeted us affable implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to conversation or requests or proposals. though wealthy, she was affable to all genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality. a genial companion with a ready quip sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others. sociable people who enjoy entertaining

Examples of gracious in a Sentence

This is not a surprise given the welcome, gracious atmosphere, the uncommon competence of the kitchen, with its familiar Little Italy Italian menu … and the restaurant's credible wine list. — Mark Bittman, New York Times, 26 June 2002 If there are not too many in the group, you might inquire solicitously about their health. If you are in a particularly gracious mood, you might even give them a brief resume of your physical condition. — Groucho Marx, letter, 15 Nov. 1951, in The Groucho Letters, 1987 Phoebe closed her eyes, seeing her father moving like a shadow among his guests, gracious, smiling, pouring wine and exchanging greetings. — Judith Berry Griffin, Phoebe the Spy, 1977 The reception started in orderly enough fashion—gracious and leisurely. Paula Locker, the President of the Club, met me at the door, and I took my place in line with her, with Fishbait Miller doing the introducing. — Lady Bird Johnson, A White House Diary, 1970 Thank you for your gracious hospitality. The magazine promotes gracious living.

Recent Examples on the Web

White House officials were gracious and understanding when the British Embassy reached out to alert them to the leak. — Washington Post, "In a divided Washington, British ambassador was a bridge," 10 July 2019 Osaka’s response was gracious and understanding, bringing Williams to tears. — Sydney Scott, Essence, "Serena Williams Opens Up About 2018 U.S. Open Outburst," 9 July 2019 His remarks at the 75th commemoration of D-Day at the Normandy American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, were gracious, moving, poetic, and delivered in a time zone six hours ahead of the East Coast. — Matthew Continetti, National Review, "Trump’s Great D-Day Speech," 6 June 2019 But Eliza has no agenda other than maintaining engagement, no imperative but to be gracious in the face of insult. — Noam Cohen, WIRED, "Why Siri and Alexa Weren’t Built to Smack Down Harassment," 6 June 2019 Fowler is 30, still a fan favorite and still unfailingly gracious about his curious place in the game’s galaxy. — Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, "Rickie Fowler’s perpetual search for a major win leads him to Pebble Beach," 10 June 2019 But the best part had to be visiting Erdem’s studio in East London and Julien Dossena’s Paco Rabanne atelier in Paris, where both designers and their teams were gracious enough to show us the making of a key dress in each of their collections. — Nicole Phelps, Vogue, "Our Very Favorite Moments From the Fall 2019 Collections," 12 Mar. 2019 Germany has been gracious enough to show what can go wrong. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Vote on the Green New Deal," 11 Feb. 2019 Gosz pointed out the benefit of hosting events isn't merely to be gracious. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Facilities upgrades at high schools have been part of renovation revolution," 1 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gracious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.