as in rudeness
the quality or state of lacking refinement or good taste
the indelicacy of their dinner conversation made the other guests wince in embarrassment
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of indelicacy
The Trump era is one of indelicacy, profanity, and real—not imagined—misogyny, and its flacks deserve a language that matches up.
—
Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 5 June 2018
Trump added, seemingly referring to the indelicacy of directly attacking a war hero who is fighting brain cancer.
—Callum Borchers, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2018
These are only some of the indelicacies that have issued forth from Trump’s mouth:
But the current era of political obscenity also must be put in historical context.
—Jeet Heer, New Republic, 8 June 2017
Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 5 June 2018
Trump added, seemingly referring to the indelicacy of directly attacking a war hero who is fighting brain cancer.
—Callum Borchers, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2018
These are only some of the indelicacies that have issued forth from Trump’s mouth:
But the current era of political obscenity also must be put in historical context.
—Jeet Heer, New Republic, 8 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indelicacy
Noun
-
Essentially, they’re used to meeting an expectation where rudeness and thoughtlessness aren’t tolerated—because their older sister made sure of that.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
18 Sep. 2025
-
If senior figures display rudeness or disrespect, employees may assume that such behavior is acceptable, making selective enforcement seem arbitrary and undermining of trust.—
Andrew Binns,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In fact, plenty of other things in your home surpass the toilet in terms of grossness.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Brain rot has become unavoidable, its grossness ubiquitous.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
New York Giants offensive lineman James Hudson was also fined $12,172 for unnecessary roughness.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
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The moment was highlighted on social media and Hudson was flagged for unnecessary roughness.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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An alkaline compound, baking soda is a non-toxic cleaner with a coarseness that works wonders for scrubbing grime, removing difficult stains, and deodorizing stinky odors.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The coarseness of your grounds is determined by the width of the space between the two grinding burrs.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Many of the European players were subjected to dreadful abuse from the galleries, unprintable vulgarities and some deeply personal insults.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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Many of the racist, nativist vulgarities spoken out loud in Paul Thomas Anderson’s marvelous new film One Battle After Another evoke sentiments that, in our world, first fomented online.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There’s some rudeness, aggressive conversations, and crudeness, but nothing too over the top.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Indelicacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indelicacy. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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