graceless

adjective

grace·​less ˈgrās-ləs 

1

: lacking in divine grace : immoral, unregenerate

2

a

: lacking a sense of propriety

a graceless accusation

b

: devoid of attractive qualities

3

: artistically inept or unbeautiful

graceless dancing

gracelessly adverb

gracelessness noun

Synonyms

• awkward
• butterfingered
• cack-handed [British]
• clumsy
• ham-fisted
• ham-handed
• handless
• heavy-handed
• left-handed
• maladroit
• unhandy

Examples of graceless in a Sentence

Her writing can be graceless and awkward at times.

a graceless person who was a butterfingered lout when it came to playing basketball

Recent Examples on the Web

Ingebrigtsen has proven excellent at running but somewhat graceless in both victory and defeat, especially the latter. —Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024

And there’s no doubt that the graceless, smirking way she was treated in the media supports that. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024

All of this wreaks of elements of being a graceless loser in defeat. —Brian Mazique, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024

Trump’s remarks were monumentally graceless, showing again the emptiness of his character. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

graceless

adjective

grace·​less ˈgrā-sləs 

: having no grace, charm, or elegance

especially : showing lack of feeling for what is fitting

graceless behavior

gracelessly adverb

gracelessness noun