as in inappropriate
showing poor judgment especially in personal relationships or social situations
the company considered his indelicate handling of such a personal matter to be unprofessional
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Recent Examples of indelicate
The pair also sparred on a more indelicate campaign trail moment.
—
Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024
In its first two seasons, viewers have gone on transcontinental journeys, including an indelicate hotel manager in Hawaii and a strange love square in Italy.
—Shivani Gonzalez, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
Advertisement The president-elect’s style — brash, indelicate and pugilistic — is distilled in his son.
—Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
The pair also sparred on a more indelicate campaign trail moment.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for indelicate
Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024
In its first two seasons, viewers have gone on transcontinental journeys, including an indelicate hotel manager in Hawaii and a strange love square in Italy.
—Shivani Gonzalez, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2025
Advertisement The president-elect’s style — brash, indelicate and pugilistic — is distilled in his son.
—Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024
The pair also sparred on a more indelicate campaign trail moment.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for indelicate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for indelicate
Adjective
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Last season, Horner also came under scrutiny during an investigation into inappropriate and controlling behavior towards a female employee.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
9 July 2025
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Outrageous videos of purple-haired teachers voicing deeply political and inappropriate content on social media often reach millions of people, creating the false impression that teachers are generally unhinged and want to use their perch to push a personal agenda.—
Carrie Lukas,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt: A 29-year-old man from Lisle was arrested on charges of improper lane usage, speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol at 12:27 a.m. July 1 at East Chicago Avenue and South Naper Boulevard.—
Steve Metsch,
Chicago Tribune,
6 July 2025
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While these tools can help employers screen more job candidates and help identify relevant experience, human resources and legal experts warn improper training and implementation of hiring technologies can proliferate biases.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
5 July 2025
Adjective
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Hegseth’s indiscreet texts also pose serious intelligence risks.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2025
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If this text had been received by someone hostile to American interests—or someone merely indiscreet, and with access to social media—the Houthis would have had time to prepare for what was meant to be a surprise attack on their strongholds.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Ultimately, the film hammers home that this klutzy, tactless new man in town is first and foremost a voyeur — which is where most of the taboo shattering comes in.—
Miriam Balanescu,
IndieWire,
17 May 2025
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Tapper believes conservatives were proven correct in their harsh and at times tactless assessments of Biden’s condition, which clearly worsened in 2023 after his son Hunter faced the possibility of a prison sentence when a plea deal on tax and gun charges fell apart.—
Stephen Battaglio,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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So maybe use the feelings aroused by your sister-in-law’s thoughtless, certainly injudicious, possibly naughty remark as an opportunity to rise above.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2024
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What The Meng Episode Means (1): Is Huawei A Tool of The CCP? Meng’s release, and injudicious remarks, do not bode well for Huawei.—
George Calhoun,
Forbes,
27 Sep. 2021
Adjective
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Proof Carefully To Show Professionalism And Attention To Detail What gets my negative attention are résumés with careless errors—typos, missing words and inconsistent formatting.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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Social media erupted in fear, and disgust, or simply threw shame his way for being careless.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Prevost has already had a showbiz publicist offer to represent him, and a journalist stop by post-interview to give him tips on what is imprudent to say on live TV—such as his imminent travel plans.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
1 July 2025
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Continually placing financial stress on our hospitals and denying consistent, desperately needed care to undocumented individuals is financially imprudent—and morally bankrupt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Cover-ups are inadvisable, however well meant, because the erosion of trust only compounds.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
20 May 2025
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Though magnesium hydroxide is a safe choice to treat temporary constipation symptoms, using too much of it is inadvisable.—
Alex Yampolsky,
Verywell Health,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Indelicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/indelicate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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