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
-
Bad reviews, inappropriate comments and shabby online engagements have the opposite effect and can potentially leave a permanent mark against the company name.—
Dmitry Malin,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
-
In stark contrast, Lauren Sanchez's choice of a white suit with a visible lace corset was inappropriate for the occasion, earning a notably low score in dress and presence.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The following year, regulators ruled that the company is unsuitable to operate its casinos in Sydney and Queensland, placing them under government supervision.—
Yessar Rosendar,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
-
That's because Blue Origin aims to recover the first stage of the New Glenn rocket, and sea states in the Atlantic Ocean have been unsuitable for an initial attempt to catch the first stage booster on a drone ship.—
Eric Berger,
Ars Technica,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Lawyers for Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, will set out to show that the News Group executives concealed and sought to destroy evidence of hacking and other improper practices.—
Mark Landler,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
-
According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, over 65,000 home fires are the result of improper heating equipment usage in the United States.—
Graeme Taskerud,
The Denver Post,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
For example, malfunctioning sensors, unreliable asset location or gaps in data collection can produce incorrect conclusions about asset movement, leading to questionable insights.—
Fabio Belloni,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
-
In that case, Fox made a modest admission that incorrect claims had been made, but Dominion Voting Systems was able to reveal the size of the settlement — the more telling concession.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The swindles also involved fake investments, phony sweepstakes, and tech support scams in which a person was contacted and told there was something wrong with their computer, which could be corrected for a fee.—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi,
Discover Magazine,
18 Jan. 2025
-
The outlet reports that Puente would even continue to write letters to her tenants’ family members for months following their deaths in order to cover her tracks and lead the families to believe nothing was wrong.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Ratings declined, Lynch was unhappy, and the show was canceled.—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
16 Jan. 2025
-
Saquon Barkley is an unstoppable force, the defense is resurgent under Vic Fangio, the chatter about an unhappy A.J. Brown has mostly died down.—
Dianna Russini,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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There are another 10 or so, such as Lil Joe, who are unfit for release after difficult histories.—
Kevin Spear,
Orlando Sentinel,
19 Jan. 2025
-
Lee Monroe Straight-leg Jeans $43 $28 at Amazon Denim is notoriously unfit for traveling in, but reviewers say these Lee jeans are an exception.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near infelicitous
Cite this Entry
“Infelicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infelicitous. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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