1
as in clumsy
lacking or showing a lack of nimbleness in using one's hands
a graceless person who was a butterfingered lout when it came to playing basketball
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
was a graceless preteen but evolved into a confident teenager
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3
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
one guest made a graceless comment about the bride's bleached hair
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4
as in awkward
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
her graceless dancing was painful to watch
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5
as in improper
showing poor judgment especially in personal relationships or social situations
indifferent to the nuances of constructive criticism, she sometimes says things which are hurtful or graceless
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of graceless
Still, Trump should want her endorsement and should be trying to woo her — and those voters — instead of engaging in his typically graceless behavior.
—
The Editors, National Review, 6 Mar. 2024
In a neighborhood filled with exceptional civic architecture, the building looked all the more graceless beside Arthur Erickson’s monumental Canadian Embassy and across the street from John Russell Pope’s magisterial National Gallery of Art and I.M. Pei’s East Building.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023
The other band members were gracious and discreet, but enough was said to leave the impression of a faintly aristocratic Reed who was graceless and intransigent.
—Ian Penman, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Ruscha’s photographs—deliberately graceless taxonomies of parking lots, swimming pools, palm trees, and the like—seem thin by comparison, lacking the paintings’ dialectic of innocence and wit.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for graceless
The Editors, National Review, 6 Mar. 2024
In a neighborhood filled with exceptional civic architecture, the building looked all the more graceless beside Arthur Erickson’s monumental Canadian Embassy and across the street from John Russell Pope’s magisterial National Gallery of Art and I.M. Pei’s East Building.
—Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023
The other band members were gracious and discreet, but enough was said to leave the impression of a faintly aristocratic Reed who was graceless and intransigent.
—Ian Penman, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
Ruscha’s photographs—deliberately graceless taxonomies of parking lots, swimming pools, palm trees, and the like—seem thin by comparison, lacking the paintings’ dialectic of innocence and wit.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for graceless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for graceless
Adjective
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What starts with a clumsy confession that threatened to derail their relationship altogether, ends with Mark and Helly closer than ever.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Feb. 2025
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Take a deep breath because these claims form just one part of a clumsy web of viral content, in which Ronaldo, Messi and their children are part of the collateral.—
Adam Crafton,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Healthy arrogance is a term that makes some people uncomfortable.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
17 Feb. 2025
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Commenters pointed out that such a request was highly inappropriate and could have put the driver in an uncomfortable or even dangerous situation.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Some praised the Hitch star for looking happy and returning to music, while others said that the onstage moment of attempting to kiss Martinez was inappropriate.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
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While booting a car may be an appropriate remedy to curb parking violations, booting a car that also immobilizes other non-offending vehicles is inappropriate.—
Gary Singer,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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At the time Stott suffered the injury, during an awkward swing in a mid-May series at Miami, the Phillies were already facing life without shortstop Trea Turner.—
Matt Gelb,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
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Where some toiletry bags end up having an awkward shape that won’t easily fit into your luggage, these are the opposite.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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After reviewing body camera footage of the incident as part of its internal investigation, the department recommended that the officer receive a two-day suspension for the improper search allegation.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2025
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Like the House bill, its text has not yet been released. DEA hearings on the rescheduling proposal have been delayed by at least three months due to appeals from pro-reform witnesses claiming improper communications between the DEA and certain opponents.—
Dario Sabaghi,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The resolution is seeking $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years, measures that have met opposition from Democrats and made some Republicans uneasy.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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In my conversations with barbecue people, there was often uneasy tension about whether craft barbecue is something new or a return to an old way of doing things.—
Rachel Monroe,
The New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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So, with the names in play unsuitable, and no speed merchants on the trade block, does Oilers GM Stan Bowman pivot to another player type?—
Allan Mitchell,
The Athletic,
12 Feb. 2025
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The following year, regulators ruled that the company was unsuitable to operate its casinos in Sydney and Queensland, placing them under government supervision.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And will assuredly remain so, barring a highly unexpected climb up the standings from a team that has been unsteady all season.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
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While working a route in Aurora’s 9th Ward, Lockhart noticed an elderly man out walking his dog who was unsteady, ultimately falling and injuring his head.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Graceless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/graceless. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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