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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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.
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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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In his Wednesday interview on French radio, French FM Barrot suggested that Musk's interventions in European nations' domestic politics were even more inappropriate because Musk is part of President-elect Trump's government-in-waiting.Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 9 Jan. 2025
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John Anthony Ayala, of Colton and who previously worked at Inland Peak Performance and F1 Training in San Bernardino, sent inappropriate texts to the girl, according to a Jan. 3 news release by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Highland station.Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Hanff for years found herself up against eccentric producers, lousy office jobs, laughably unsuitable housing, and staggering creative frustration before finally finding some crumbs of success working as a screenwriter for early television.The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 20 Dec. 2024
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The city constructed the dormitories at Floyd Bennett Field despite protests and criticism that the location was unsuitable and isolated.Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Duran had already been charged with improper conduct for his reaction to the red card.Callum Davis, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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One of the most alarming findings comes when Matson shows gaps in the marble shower's corners, warning of potential water damage due to improper sealing.Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Approximately 780,000 incorrect charges totaling over 2 billion forints ($5.43 million) in one night.Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
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According to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, 30% of workers are concerned with AI hallucinations, which is when AI generates incorrect information as a result of poor training or inaccurate assumptions.Gary Drenik, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Picking the wrong location Silicon Valley dominates startup success, with Boston and Seattle far behind (at least at the time of writing).Jodie Cook, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
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After watching Darnold struggle Sunday, that doesn’t feel so wrong.Mike Sando, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In 2018, Butler was months away from potentially becoming a free agent (as is the case now) and was unhappy with the Timberwolves (as is the case now, just with the Heat).Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025
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That’s a sure sign coaches are unhappy with aspects of a player’s performance.Rob Rossi, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Jean-Marie Le Pen was deemed unfit to testify. ___ Ganley, who retired from The Associated Press, contributed to this report.Thomas Adamson, Sylvie Corbet, TIME, 7 Jan. 2025
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It's said in the books that the iron throne was built to cut anyone unfit to rule, which sums up Viserys (although, to be fair, it's easily done; the throne is made of swords).David Faris, Newsweek, 28 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near infelicitous
Cite this Entry
“Infelicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infelicitous. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
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