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
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
-
The league’s reason for not punishing Morant was understanding his intent behind the gesture wasn’t violent, but Morant was advised to refrain from using the inappropriate celebration.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Is the ‘Minecraft’ movie inappropriate? Not particularly.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
If the new wells prove unsuitable for city use, the city has a contingency plan designed for rehabilitation.—
Kyle Martin,
The Mercury News,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Until now, scientists have generally thought that planets orbiting white dwarfs would be unsuitable for life because the dynamic temperature decrease of their dead parent star makes their atmospheres too unstable.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Tony Bennett's daughters filed a new lawsuit in New York, claiming their brother abused his power of fiduciary duty and other improper and unlawful conduct, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The move backfired: the bank’s board of governors, on which China remains an observer, removed Claver-Carone after allegations of improper behavior involving a subordinate.—
MATIAS SPEKTOR,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Although some posters online have suggested the streetlamp are emitting ultraviolet or black light, that's incorrect, Davis said.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2025
-
When that happens, inferring eligibility based on the tax unit claiming the child would be incorrect.—
Elaine Maag,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
However, the new price on the OnePlus store is about 50 percent higher, putting OnePlus on the wrong side of devices like the Pixel Watch and Apple Watch.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Five justices said the lawsuit was brought in the wrong venue.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Despite his close relationship with Trump, Elon Musk is unhappy about tariffs, which stand to hurt the business empire of the world’s richest man.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
There have even been reports of police being called to deal with the rowdy behavior, not to mention some theater employees who are unhappy about the cleanup required.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
There were cries of a rotten system and in its recent lawsuit against the tennis authorities, the PTPA has belittled the current system as unfit for purpose.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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Once a game has started, the lead umpire determines whether it should be suspended as well as when it can be resumed or terminated because of bad weather or unfit playing conditions.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infelicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infelicitous. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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