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
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
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
-
There are significant worries that AI can readily go off the rails or otherwise dispense unsuitable or even egregiously inappropriate mental health advice.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In April 2025, a tipster submitted an online report alleging an inappropriate relationship between Gilkey-Meisegeier and the student.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There are significant worries that AI can readily go off the rails or otherwise dispense unsuitable or even egregiously inappropriate mental health advice.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
These turbines operate effectively in regions unsuitable for conventional wind farms, including mountainous terrain and remote coastal areas.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Nanita also faces charges of improper disposal of a body, fraud and larceny.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
-
In addition to the speeding charge, Richardson was cited for following and flashing at vehicles too closely as well as making improper lane changes.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Attackers can intentionally inject misleading or manipulative prompts to bypass security protocols or generate incorrect responses.—
Connie Etemadi,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Kiraly said the project experienced some delays due to incorrect measurements during construction, pushing completion back by a couple of months.—
Daniel I. Dorfman,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Mia’s giant bow dress is fabulous, but her hair is all wrong.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Which is why the reaction to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney blowing the whistle on Ole Miss coach Pete Golding for alleged tampering feels so wrong.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Domingo Morel, a professor at New York University who studies state takeovers of local schools, said most local residents wind up unhappy with the methods used by state interventionists and the results.—
Bri Hatch,
Chalkbeat,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Audrey, the single and childless and PhD-less product of a stable but unhappy home, has fallen short of the life planned out for her by her parents.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Apparently, the Meyers in Long Beach were ruled unfit as guardians, or Lynn refused to go back to them, so juvenile authorities located some blood relatives, possibly her father or half sister, and put her on a train back East.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This is a couple unfit to govern a two-bedroom.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infelicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infelicitous. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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