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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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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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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These transitions, between past and present, are sometimes clumsy but sometimes genuinely sweet, as with an old letter that near-simultaneously is dictated and written, received and read, and finally rediscovered (and only partially understood) in the 21st century.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
27 May 2025
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Wildlife officials helped remove a black bear found hanging out in the kitchen of a Kentucky home after an impressive, yet clumsy break-in, photos show.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Kansas City Star,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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But after a smattering of deeply uncomfortable and boundary-crossing hangs, Austin decides to sever ties with Craig, who slowly loses his mind trying to win back his erstwhile buddy.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
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The film is also an introspective interrogation of Cruise's stardom, confronting its main character with uncomfortable realities: his world is artificial, insulated, and fleeting, and his multimillion-dollar good looks could disappear in an instant.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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But lingering beneath the surface of his success, Favre had a pattern of inappropriate behavior off the field, including a high-profile tabloid scandal that erupted in 2010, and most recently, the largest case of public fraud in Mississippi’s history.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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As the rebel Jen (Michelle Williams) comes to town, and Pacey (Joshua Jackson) carries on an inappropriate relationship with his teacher, that turns out to be the case. 23.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Eddie's real parentage is revealed, Maeve is outed, Kevin catches up with Rusby, Bella brokers her deal, and Alice attends an awkward Harrigan dinner.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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There is also an awkward disconnect: Gmail’s recent encryption upgrade clashes with its AI upgrades.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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Trump, who has painted past legal cases against him as an improper political use of law enforcement, has in a number of instances called for probes of his foes.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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The report alleges a range of major violations plaguing St. Hope Public Schools — including conflicts of interests among its top officers, improper use of public funding, deficient accounting processes and the employment of a largely unqualified teaching staff.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Today, hydrogen bombs have replaced atom bombs in most arsenals, creating a world of uneasy standoffs among nuclear foes.—
William J. Broad,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
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But the vote was not unanimous and left Councilman Kevin O’Neill feeling uneasy.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Any useless, toxic or otherwise unsuitable man can become a child’s legal father, without being subject to the thorough checks that these women must face.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
23 May 2025
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Advertisement Advertisement Some insects are adapting to changing climates by moving to regions that might have previously been unsuitable.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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It’s maintained an idiosyncratic spirit all along, combining references from across rock history—a Bob Dylan harmonica line here, a Cars synth line there—with lyrics that unspool in unsteady, careening cadences.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
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Not only that, but he was being fed an unsteady diet of cockroaches.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
4 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Graceless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/graceless. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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