1
as in pleasant
giving pleasure or contentment to the mind or senses a felicitous accompaniment to dinner is provided by a pianist on weekends at the restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective felicitous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of felicitous are appropriate, apt, fitting, fit, happy, meet, proper, and suitable. While all these words mean "right with respect to some end, need, use, or circumstance," felicitous suggests an aptness that is opportune, telling, or graceful.

a felicitous phrase

When is appropriate a more appropriate choice than felicitous?

While in some cases nearly identical to felicitous, appropriate implies eminent or distinctive fitness.

an appropriate gift

When might apt be a better fit than felicitous?

Although the words apt and felicitous have much in common, apt connotes a fitness marked by nicety and discrimination.

apt quotations

When would fit be a good substitute for felicitous?

The meanings of fit and felicitous largely overlap; however, fit stresses adaptability and sometimes special readiness for use or action.

fit for battle

When could fitting be used to replace felicitous?

In some situations, the words fitting and felicitous are roughly equivalent. However, fitting implies harmony of mood or tone.

a fitting end

Where would happy be a reasonable alternative to felicitous?

While the synonyms happy and felicitous are close in meaning, happy suggests what is effectively or successfully appropriate.

a happy choice of words

When is it sensible to use meet instead of felicitous?

The words meet and felicitous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, meet suggests a just proportioning.

meet payment

When can proper be used instead of felicitous?

The synonyms proper and felicitous are sometimes interchangeable, but proper suggests a suitability through essential nature or accordance with custom.

proper acknowledgement

In what contexts can suitable take the place of felicitous?

The words suitable and felicitous can be used in similar contexts, but suitable implies an answering to requirements or demands.

clothes suitable for camping

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of felicitous Pebble Beach was not a felicitous meeting of land and sea. Doug Ferguson, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024 That breadth is a felicitous analog to the roaming comedy of the script. Scott Hocker, theweek, 5 Jan. 2024 Ellis-Bextor now joins Kate Bush in the league of criminally underrated British singers who have received a late-career reappraisal thanks to a felicitous TV or film sync. Vulture, 11 Jan. 2024 A couple of bright, shining hours can endow a day with a felicitous look and feel. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2023 See All Example Sentences for felicitous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for felicitous
Adjective
  • But overall, this affordable bed frame offers a good mix of pleasant aesthetics and practical storage solutions.
    Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 15 May 2025
  • She’s made a feel-good movie about people who, for the most part, aren’t feeling all that good, leaving the viewer with a pleasant aftertaste that fades away as soon as the last song ends.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • This content is not, nor is intended to be, trading or investment advice or a recommendation that any investment product or strategy is suitable for any person.
    JJ Kinahan, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • Securities, investment products, other financial products or strategies discussed herein may not be suitable for all investors.
    Katie Stockton, CNBC, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • Read Next Real Estate News See delightful Fair Oaks estate built in 1901 along American River.
    David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 13 May 2025
  • Delight by Default Aim for pleasant surprises—fewer steps, quicker approvals, delightful interactions and unexpected efficiency.
    Sal Rehmetullah, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • During arguments before the Supreme Court, several of the justices expressed concerns about the use of nationwide injunctions, but John Sauer, President Donald Trump’s solicitor general, faced pushback this week about whether limiting injunctions was appropriate in this case.
    Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 18 May 2025
  • But now, with what is happening, the title is even more appropriate.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • The competition ended with a delicious buffet lunch attended by 500 people.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
  • Unlike indulging for a week on regular vacations, the cruise's generous food options – though often delicious – can be a bit overwhelming for some passengers after a few months.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • So what could be more fitting than renaming it for Donald Trump?
    Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
  • The back-and-forth nature of this series almost makes a Game 7 a deserving, fitting end to this matchup.
    Kelly Iko, New York Times, 16 May 2025
Adjective
  • The helmsman, feeling swells beneath the vessel, gleans the proper heading, even in the dark.
    The Conversation, The Conversation, 14 May 2025
  • Your pricing is too low to support proper delivery.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • At the same time, designers are encouraged to let their creativity flow—to re-imagine the rooms in ways that are both pleasing and potentially inspirational.
    Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2025
  • But for those who obsess about kerning, the space between letters, the view from above the tomb is not exactly an aesthetically pleasing one.
    Adeel Hassan, New York Times, 4 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Felicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/felicitous. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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