inelegant

adjective

in·​el·​e·​gant (ˌ)i-ˈne-li-gənt 

: lacking in refinement, grace, or good taste

using inelegant language

inelegantly adverb

Synonyms of inelegant

• uncomfortable
• clumsy
• awkward
• uneasy
• ungraceful

Examples of inelegant in a Sentence

inelegant teens still learning how to act at formal events

inelegant furniture that looked like it belonged in a budget motel

Recent Examples on the Web

Hockey was a bruising, inelegant sport played in the frozen tundra of Canada and the upper Midwest when Vachon was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Kings in the winter of 1971. —Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026

But its blunt, inelegant dialogue is peppered with characters (metaphorically) vomiting up their darkest secrets. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026

The traffic, bachelorette party buses and more inelegant tourists are far out of sight and view from up here. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Feb. 2026

But this didn’t change the fact of the previous incorrect and inelegant sentence. —Literary Hub, 3 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from Latin inelegant-, inelegans, from in- + elegant-, elegans elegant

First Known Use

circa 1570, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for inelegant

• elegant

Kids Definition

inelegant

adjective

in·​el·​e·​gant (ˈ)in-ˈel-i-gənt 

: lacking in grace or good taste

inelegantly adverb