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 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 Dear Looking: Greeting your host with your Gladware out and at the ready is definitely gauche. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 28 Oct. 2021 Dear Looking: Greeting your host with your Gladware out and at the ready is definitely gauche. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 28 Oct. 2021 See All Example Sentences for gauche
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gauche
Adjective
  • Removing 55 books the governor’s political party is uncomfortable with is not ethical or legal.
    Robert Kesten, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Less Strain: Reaching over your child’s car seat can be uncomfortable and awkward.
    Laura Lu, Parents, 16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The coming weeks are the slow limp forwards that Putin wants: Tension between Trump and Zelensky first, followed by European pressure on Trump to ease off on Zelensky, followed by awkward and technical stalling over a three-way meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Kyler Murray completed seven of his eight passes, with one awkward misread going for a pick: Third-year running back Bam Knight busted out on a 27-yard rush, and his backfield teammate Emari Demercado took a screen pass all the way to the house.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Any move to unify systems and say goodbye to clumsy data management couldn't be more crucial—or opportune.
    Charles Crouchman, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Every summer a disposable camera was tucked into my camp bag, where clumsy photos, often with a thumb peeking in, were snapped with reckless abandon.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The United States and China have settled into a steady state of pragmatic, if uneasy, détente.
    Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Reading Zeller’s book, I was reminded that there is a kind of uneasy fellowship in this condition—a vast, involuntary community of people mapping out their lives between attacks, haunted by uncertainty but sustained in part by accounts like his.
    Jerome Groopman, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Democratic state legislators should be embarrassed too.
    Chris Powell, Hartford Courant, 4 Aug. 2025
  • His grandmother felt embarrassed when guests noticed its absence, but to them, the house was still their castle.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 3 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gauche.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gauche. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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