as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
an infelicitous comment on the weight of the guest of honor at the banquet
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Recent Examples of infelicitous
Notwithstanding infelicitous boasting, Trump is a man of his word who will scrupulously honor his oath of office.
—
Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 10 Nov. 2024
Even so, the impulse to nationalize the problem will have its own, infelicitous effects.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
Film-school student Haynes always imitates better directors — Fassbinder’s social melodrama, Joseph Losey’s studies of decadence (pilfering the infelicitous piano score from Losey’s The Go-Between, from 1971).
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024
Dallas American politics lately feels like an endless game of—pardon the infelicitous word—delegitimation.
—Barton Swaim, wsj.com, 18 Apr. 2023
The New York bill would implement a concept called extended producer responsibility, an incredibly infelicitous recycling term.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2021
That grid revision unfortunately resulted in some infelicitous words being added to the puzzle.
—New York Times, 3 Feb. 2020
Despite the infelicitous coincidence of the election date with Easter — which would normally have been expected to depress turnout — turnout actually ticked slightly upward from recent contests, to 67 percent.
—Amy Erica Smith, Vox, 2 Apr. 2018
As in video games, the action is lurid, hyperkinetic, and gruesomely violent, with nods to Grand Theft Auto and a comparably infelicitous treatment of the few women characters who show up.
—Chicago Reader, 12 Oct. 2017
Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 10 Nov. 2024
Even so, the impulse to nationalize the problem will have its own, infelicitous effects.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
Film-school student Haynes always imitates better directors — Fassbinder’s social melodrama, Joseph Losey’s studies of decadence (pilfering the infelicitous piano score from Losey’s The Go-Between, from 1971).
—Armond White, National Review, 10 Jan. 2024
Dallas American politics lately feels like an endless game of—pardon the infelicitous word—delegitimation.
—Barton Swaim, wsj.com, 18 Apr. 2023
The New York bill would implement a concept called extended producer responsibility, an incredibly infelicitous recycling term.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2021
That grid revision unfortunately resulted in some infelicitous words being added to the puzzle.
—New York Times, 3 Feb. 2020
Despite the infelicitous coincidence of the election date with Easter — which would normally have been expected to depress turnout — turnout actually ticked slightly upward from recent contests, to 67 percent.
—Amy Erica Smith, Vox, 2 Apr. 2018
As in video games, the action is lurid, hyperkinetic, and gruesomely violent, with nods to Grand Theft Auto and a comparably infelicitous treatment of the few women characters who show up.
—Chicago Reader, 12 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infelicitous
Adjective
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That’s as the league continues its investigation of longtime Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who was accused of inappropriate behavior by 16 massage therapists as part of an investigation by The Baltimore Banner.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Herro was asked this as well: Is the type of the comment that Garland made inappropriate for a player to say about another player?—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But regulations that apply to traditional markets are unsuitable for digital native assets like crypto and digital assets.—
Lawrence Wintermeyer,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
-
The vacant land, which was largely unsuitable for agriculture, became an albatross over the next few decades.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Courts and Compliance In terms of the legal battles over Trump's moves, people widely rejected the administration's accusations of improper judicial interference.—
Gary Langer,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Graham was arrested shortly before 4:45 p.m. and charged with engaging police in pursuit, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, improper use of a marker plate, operation without minimum insurance, unsafe passing and operating a motor vehicle without a license.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Many patients walk away with incorrect prescriptions.—
Kaitlyn Gomez,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
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If a player guesses incorrect groups of words four times, the game ends, and they are defeated.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Some would argue that picking a celebrity is the wrong way forward.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
5 May 2025
-
In the 20th century, however, things started to go wrong.—
Julia Buckley,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
Adjective
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Kraft had strong leads among some voting groups polled, the poll showed, including Republicans, voters who disapprove of Boston’s sanctuary city status, those unhappy with Boston’s quality of life, and those prioritizing government spending/taxes.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
1 May 2025
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Sonya can be competitive about who is more unhappy.—
Jason Zinoman,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Its troubles began in 2022 after regulators declared the company unfit to operate its casinos following media reports of money laundering at its properties.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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The injunction request stated the premises were unfit for occupancy and owners did not have a valid city business license.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infelicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infelicitous. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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