indelicate

adjective in·del·i·cate \ (ˌ)in-ˈde-li-kət \

Updated on: 3 Apr 2018

Definition of indelicate

: not delicate:

a (1) : lacking in or offending against propriety : improper

(2) : verging on the indecent : coarse

b : marked by a lack of feeling for the sensibilities of others : tactless

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indelicately

adverb

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indelicateness

noun

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Examples of indelicate in a Sentence

Many consider it indelicate to talk about such things in mixed company.
the company considered his indelicate handling of such a personal matter to be unprofessional

Recent Examples of indelicate from the Web

Is this an indelicate time to mention that the Ramblers beat a Tennessee team missing its shot-blocking center because of injury and beat a Kansas State team missing its top scorer and rebounder because of injury?

— steve rosenbloom, chicagotribune.com, "The natural next step in the Loyola story: NFL teams calling dibs on Sister Jean," 30 Mar. 2018
But an indelicate tweet published on the company's Twitter account said Papa John's drew more attention to the hate groups.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "John Schnatter stepping down as Papa John's CEO," 21 Dec. 2017
Acting Secretary Elaine Duke, another nonpolitical homeland expert, ran into trouble for indelicate comments in response to a question about one of the recent hurricanes, for instance.

— laura meckler, WSJ, "Trump Picks Kirstjen Nielsen for Homeland Security Secretary," 11 Oct. 2017
At the same time, the musician’s indelicate missives compel one to ask just what drove Mozart’s proclivity to fixate on things scatological.

— jonathan rosenberg, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Mozart: The Man Revealed' explores a life infused with as much drama as any opera," 8 Sep. 2017
Posner’s Stupid F-ing Bird, the Arden’s funny play with the indelicate name, got four.

— john timpane, Philly.com, "Barrymore Awards nominations are out - and what a year in theater it was!," 21 Aug. 2017
A neighbor having a beef with another mowed a most indelicate word into his yard in Sequim, Wash., about 65 miles northwest of Seattle.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Two neighbors’ tale of woe: The color purple, a giant ‘A HOLE’ and Google Earth," 13 July 2017
The kits sport clumsy, oddly curved, and painfully jagged instruments, including dull saws and indelicate pinchers.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Here’s your chance to buy brutal amputation tools used in the Revolutionary War," 11 July 2017
All of these indelicate products come to us thanks to skin-care companies, launched over the past few years, that are marketing strenuously—some would say, overcompensatingly—to men.

— jacob gallagher, WSJ, "Are You Man Enough to Buy These Skin-Care Products?," 15 Mar. 2017

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

First Known Use of indelicate

1742

in the meaning defined at sense a(1)

See Words from the same year

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indelicate Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of indelicate

indecorous, improper, unseemly, unbecoming, indelicate mean not conforming to what is accepted as right, fitting, or in good taste. indecorous suggests a violation of accepted standards of good manners.

- indecorous behavior

improper applies to a broader range of transgressions of rules not only of social behavior but of ethical practice or logical procedure or prescribed method.