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Synonym Chooser

How is the word gracious different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of gracious are affable, cordial, genial, and sociable. While all these words mean "markedly pleasant and easy in social intercourse," gracious implies courtesy and kindly consideration.

the gracious award winner thanked her colleagues

When is it sensible to use affable instead of gracious?

Although the words affable and gracious have much in common, affable implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to conversation or requests or proposals.

though wealthy, she was affable to all

Where would cordial be a reasonable alternative to gracious?

In some situations, the words cordial and gracious are roughly equivalent. However, cordial stresses warmth and heartiness.

our host was cordial as he greeted us

When might genial be a better fit than gracious?

The meanings of genial and gracious largely overlap; however, genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality.

a genial companion with a ready quip

When could sociable be used to replace gracious?

The synonyms sociable and gracious are sometimes interchangeable, but sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others.

sociable people who enjoy entertaining

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gracious Samia is quick to accept the break-up, even gracious. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025 This is a commercial transaction, but even commercial transactions can be gracious — if everyone knows the rules and abides by them. Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2025 The courtyard was essential, a way for mostly Jewish immigrants to replace the tenement’s narrow, stinking air shaft with a form of genuinely gracious living. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Jan. 2025 But this gracious view has been taken to the extreme by some Americans who view Russia as a benign actor that is either incapable, uninterested or unwilling to harm the American people. Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for gracious 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gracious
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, the Baltimore around him doesn’t feel that hospitable anymore anyway.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2025
  • The weather will be more hospitable than last week’s game against the Houston Texans.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Create a pleasant silhouette by accentuating the waist and tailoring the midriff.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
  • February 9, 1893: With pure, vigorous blood coursing through the veins and animating every fiber of the body, cold weather is not only endurance but pleasant and agreeable.
    Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • In another artist’s hands, The Return might have become a straightforward show about the corrosion of small-town America, or the incursion of extraordinary violence into polite society—something of that order.
    K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The middle son was polite and shy, and looked up to the club’s older boys.
    Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • But even that, an idea borrowed from other states, the federal government and even the city of Chicago, failed to get traction, another example of lawmakers and friendly lobbyists showing little appetite for changing how Springfield does business.
    Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
  • The 20-year-old was called up to the Trinidad & Tobago national team in December for a friendly against Saudi Arabia.
    Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Give your sink a nice bubble bath by stopping the drain and filling the basin along with a tablet.
    Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 2025
  • Elizabeth had started working and spent some of her wages on nice outfits.
    Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Savvy hotelier Jayson Seidman purchased the Italianate mansion (built by architect Thomas Sully in 1883) in 2019 and, in a thoughtful overhaul, created a true city living room.
    Jenny Adams, AFAR Media, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Through the window, a thoughtful stranger handed him an unexpected gift.
    Ronnie Li, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The cast includes Stephen Merchant as the voice of the mouse, Kristen Wiig as a scenery-chewing evil aunt, and Jim Broadbent as a kindly but clueless king.
    EW.com, EW.com, 20 Dec. 2024
  • In his fourth feature, director Hsiao Ya-Chuan follows the unsentimental education of a motherless 11-year-old boy, Liao Jie (Bai Run-yin), raised in poverty by his kindly father, Liao Tai-lai (Liu Kuan-Ting), a waiter at a busy banqueting hall.
    Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • That’s sweet and admirable, but does anyone doubt by this point that Sinatra isn’t reading every single text/email/carrier pigeon note sent in Paradise?
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 11 Feb. 2025
  • While Bleu de Chanel masterfully balances citrus top notes with an amber and creamy base, this takes those latter notes and brings them to life with a sweet and spicy twang.
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 11 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near gracious

Cite this Entry

“Gracious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gracious. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on gracious

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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