Definition of gauchenext

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective gauche contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of gauche are awkward, clumsy, inept, and maladroit. While all these words mean "not marked by ease (as of performance, movement, or social conduct)," gauche implies the effects of shyness, inexperience, or ill breeding.

felt gauche and unsophisticated at formal parties

When is it sensible to use awkward instead of gauche?

The words awkward and gauche can be used in similar contexts, but awkward is widely applicable and may suggest unhandiness, inconvenience, lack of muscular control, embarrassment, or lack of tact.

periods of awkward silence

Where would clumsy be a reasonable alternative to gauche?

The synonyms clumsy and gauche are sometimes interchangeable, but clumsy implies stiffness and heaviness and so may connote inflexibility, unwieldiness, or lack of ordinary skill.

a clumsy mechanic

When would inept be a good substitute for gauche?

While in some cases nearly identical to gauche, inept often implies complete failure or inadequacy.

a hopelessly inept defense attorney

In what contexts can maladroit take the place of gauche?

The words maladroit and gauche are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, maladroit suggests a tendency to create awkward situations.

a maladroit politician

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 gauche Big engagement rings are gauche! Fran Tirado, Them, 20 Dec. 2024 For a scene at the iconically gauche-glam nightclub and restaurant Tatiana — where the surf and turf will run you $99 — only five crew members went inside. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024 The reason is very simple—the Noto palazzo was very gauche and fit for the party later in the season, to be thrown by Hollander’s character. Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Dec. 2022 That would be too gauche, too legislative for the court. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 19 May 2022 See All Example Sentences for gauche
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gauche
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the situation at the Ankara State Theater has uncomfortable parallels with the recent shuttering of the Kennedy Center in Washington in response to the artists boycotting it in protest at its rebranding.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
  • The role of any newspaper, especially one with the long and proud legacy of The Sun, is not to smooth over uncomfortable realities in the name of civility.
    Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Reaching backward or twisting around other people to grab a bag is awkward and strains muscles.
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2026
  • These things are often awkward at the best of times and with the best of families, but this oddball mess of a household might just be the actual worst.
    David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • The tech driving my first clumsy steps included a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) and GPS sensors monitoring each ski’s position and the weight and angle of my heel.
    Kendall Hunter, Outside, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Who wants to sit through a fictitious novelist’s clumsy drafts?
    Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Though the private military firm has been credited with helping security forces get into neighborhoods and recently blew up the home of one of the country’s most notorious warlords, the presence of mercenaries operating in Haiti continues to make some lawmakers uneasy.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
  • As the pair struggles to survive the brutal Canadian backcountry, an uneasy bond forms.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Better word choice than embarrassed.
    Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 14 Feb. 2026
  • It was embarrassed by a wave of corruption, abuse and other misconduct by some of the new hires.
    Ryan J. Foley, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Gauche.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gauche. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

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