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
Even so, the impulse to nationalize the problem will have its own, infelicitous effects.
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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
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
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Refuse to let anyone talk you into something inappropriate or expensive.Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 11 Nov. 2024
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With nowhere else to turn, Gregory calls his dad for honest advice, hoping to find one person who agrees that fighting a student’s parent would be inappropriate.Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Pre-existing conditions such as cardiac and liver issues make many older patients unsuitable for chemotherapy.Tlalit Bussi Tel Tzure, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
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That makes algorithms such as SHA1 and MD5 unsuitable, because they’re designed to quickly hash messages with minimal computing required.Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 27 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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The filing also details various legal proceedings, including investigations by the DOJ and SEC related to allegations of improper billing and remuneration.Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
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For this vital right to be effective, election officials must be permitted to do their jobs free from improper partisan influence, physical threats, or any other conduct designed to intimidate.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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And when Reuters reported in April that Tesla had canceled plans for a $25,000 EV to focus on its robotaxi, Musk said the article was incorrect.Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 6 Nov. 2024
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But that hasn’t quieted Burgess, who says incorrect voter data wound up in the new system.Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Our reporting has found that the claims of noncitizens on the voter rolls are likely inflated and, in some cases, wrong.ProPublica, ProPublica, 5 Nov. 2024
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Another idea suggests that there might be something wrong with science’s current understanding of gravity.Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Instead of simply telling CEOs that employees are unhappy, provide hard evidence that points to why.Alena Botros, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
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Pickford grew up in a quiet, unhappy house near Richmond Park, in southwest London.Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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In my view, Trump is grossly unfit to be president, in both mind and character — especially the latter.Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 5 Nov. 2024
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The former Trump employee, who has a Harvard Law School degree, has campaigned against Trump during the election, branding him unfit for office.Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near infelicitous
Cite this Entry
“Infelicitous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infelicitous. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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