INELEGANT Synonyms: 161 Similar and Opposite Words

inelegant

adjective

(ˌ)i-ˈne-li-gənt

Definition of inelegant

as in uncomfortable

lacking social grace and assurance inelegant teens still learning how to act at formal events

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in inappropriate

marked by an obvious lack of style or good taste inelegant furniture that looked like it belonged in a budget motel

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 inelegant This strikes me as an inelegant way to write Tommy off the show, if that’s indeed what’s happening. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026 Hockey was a bruising, inelegant sport played in the frozen tundra of Canada and the upper Midwest when Vachon was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Kings in the winter of 1971. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 But its blunt, inelegant dialogue is peppered with characters (metaphorically) vomiting up their darkest secrets. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026 The traffic, bachelorette party buses and more inelegant tourists are far out of sight and view from up here. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inelegant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inelegant

Adjective

The home was also searched thoroughly, but given the time period and social norms, officers felt uncomfortable going through a woman’s belongings.

— Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
Setting aside extraneously ornate and potentially uncomfortable earrings was par for the course, right?

— Julia Hobbs, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of uncomfortable

Adjective

The Star spoke to 11 current and former employees who have worked for Sanders and who all detailed various types of abuse and inappropriate behavior that had allegedly taken place at their workplace.

— Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
The inappropriate touching included slapping her on the buttocks and touching her hair and thighs, the report states.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of inappropriate

Adjective

Watson is a decade into this league — and quickly playing his way out of it — making the same clumsy mistakes that plagued Shedeur Sanders as a late-round rookie last year.

— Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Such attempts to touch on the highly personal connections people have to Oasis’s music feel clumsy and forced, especially when juxtaposed with the brothers’ rather anonymous comments.

— Elena Lazic, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of clumsy

Adjective

There is no doubt this one will be chalked up as an incorrect decision in the eyes of the KMI panel.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Earlier reports that the fire was caused by damage to the Tesla’s lithium-ion battery may be incorrect, Brown said.

— Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of incorrect

Adjective

At least the latter gives you something to do with yourself during the awkward time that was really just meant for wedding party photo opportunities with no thought of the inconvenience to the guests.

— Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
Continue reading … -- POLITICS TELLING SILENCE — Socialist mayor's awkward response scrutinized after police chief's nervous glances.

— , FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of awkward

Adjective

Guy acknowledges, though, that this could lead to the level of chaos depicted in a memorable 2009 episode of The Office, where staff show up in an array of unsuitable outfits.

— Chloe Veltman, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
That could allow geothermal projects to operate in locations that have traditionally been considered unsuitable for geothermal development.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsuitable

Adjective

Sam Altman is leading OpenAI through perhaps the most consequential—and uneasy—moment in artificial intelligence yet.

— Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
In a desperate race against time, Rosalind and Sean are forced into an uneasy alliance, fighting to save her husband and expose a global trafficking empire that eliminates anyone who tries to stop it.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of uneasy

Adjective

The very characteristics that made blue-collar businesses unfashionable, their physicality and labor intensity, are now their defensive moat.

— Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
As one Ithacan subject fondly recalls, Odysseus always had an unfashionable belief in playing fair.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

Definition of unfashionable

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“Inelegant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inelegant. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of inelegant

adjective

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