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
-
As the recipient of Gentle Readers’ mail, Miss Manners is all too aware of the deluge of rudeness in the modern world.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
But only those who had been woken up without warning with a degree of rudeness would remember this night when their own time came.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That feeling stops, however, when pulling into gas stations or parking lots, where the length and lowness of the car require extreme care to keep the chin from scraping.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
If an exclamation point only signified gore and grossness, this gothic rock opera would more than qualify.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The characters’ propensity for ugly faces, silliness and a bit of grossness too, stems from the portrayals of girlhood and young womanhood that appeal to them.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Whether bumps or pits, roughness or a distinct lack of luminosity, uneven skin texture impacts all of us at some point.—
Hannah Coates,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
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Taking inspiration from observing the rawness of Ma Tei’s Temple Street, the collectionmerges haute couture tailoring with the roughness of grassroots life.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The term plant texture refers to the fineness or coarseness, roughness or smoothness, heaviness or lightness of a particular plant.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
-
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,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
It is hoped that political ad campaigns would aim to lessen the meanness and divisiveness and vulgarity that have damaged our democracy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
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Former President Richard Nixon proved himself no slouch in the vulgarity department after reaching the White House in 1969.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
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 14 Mar. 2026.
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