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
-
Some of my friends were pressured to send inappropriate pictures, contacted by strangers, and exposed to content way beyond our age.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Businesses/nominees cannot obtain votes by any fraudulent or inappropriate means.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The concern expressed is that people are turning to AI for mental health advice and do not realize that (presumably) AI is unsuitable for that purpose.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The drastic drop in performance from the 2022 season points to the idea that the current generation of cars is unsuitable for the Briton.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But when attendees arrived on the remote island, there was little food — except, famously, cheese sandwiches — along with tents for housing and no actual music performances as the festival crumbled, with McFarland blaming improper infrastructure.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Citizens said its policy didn’t cover some of the property damaged by the leak and said other damage was due to wear and tear and improper installation.—
Mario Ariza,
ProPublica,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This approach is unreliable because the proxy materials, like volcanic rock, might have been changed by geological processes or created long after the eggs were laid, resulting in incorrect age estimates.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Poor labor management can also result in longer wait times, incorrect orders and ultimately negative reviews, directly impacting revenue.—
Jeff Kiesel,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Using the wrong type of cleaning product for your tub's material can result in scratches, discoloration, or chips.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Scotsman Robert MacIntyre was pleased to have made the cut with a birdie on the last on Friday evening but when a rare second cut was made to shorten the field for the final day, the 29-year-old from Oban was on the wrong side of the line when finishing 2 under par.—
Caoimhe O'Neill,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
My research team works hard to keep the email addresses up to date, but executives keep changing their addresses to avoid having to deal with unhappy customers.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
-
But few seemed to leave unhappy.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Lee would sometimes visit Anderson at the Highland Chateau health and rehabilitation center in Highland Park, where she had been relocated with some objection after her Surrey Avenue property was deemed unfit for human habitation.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Detroit RUNDetroit, 1948 Division St Suite 105, collects old shoes for Zaman International, who will reporpose gently used pairs or recycle unfit shoes, according to RUNDetroit's Instagram.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infelicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infelicitous. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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