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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
was a graceless preteen but evolved into a confident teenager
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
one guest made a graceless comment about the bride's bleached hair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in awkward
having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
her graceless dancing was painful to watch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 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
-
Imagine being cuddled by long-legged, clumsy poodles.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2025
-
That’s — actually kind of genius, especially if the Poet was a clumsy fella who needed that kind of precautionary measure.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Because that bigger picture is a murky, uncomfortable state.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Not only is this uncomfortable, but scratching (which is hard to resist) can increase the risk of hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation.—
Sierra Leone Starks,
Allure,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Mickey Rourke was removed from the Celebrity Big Brother UK house after further usage of inappropriate language.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2025
-
Lewin has insisted there was nothing inappropriate about this visit.—
Nick Tabor,
Curbed,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Its Darcy, Matthew MacFadyen, was in his late 20s and still had an awkward, youthful reserve that turned out to be perfect for this version’s take on the handsome, distant gentleman who falls for Elizabeth.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Though, fair warning: a colleague told me using it with their manager made for a very awkward 48 hours.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Instances of fraud and other types of improper payments at SSA—particularly in the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance program—are modest compared with other federal agencies, per a Government Accountability Office report.—
Doug Criscitello,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The Pakistani-Indian restaurant was issued a yellow placard for storing spoiled food and keeping food in improper containers.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, some attendees at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, started to feel uneasy.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
-
But Sherrill remains uneasy about what could happen next.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Olivia Heller/The Hustle For-profit developers, for one thing, often find church and synagogue properties unsuitable for redevelopment.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Such glues and taped seams make Gore-tex jackets unsuitable for chemical recycling.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Something long and meandering like this: For the next four years, the United States will be an unpredictable, unsteady global superpower run by a fascist oligarchy, in which the people’s representatives cater to a madman’s whim.—
Eli Grober,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
-
An unsteady job market has contributed to rising scrutiny around large corporations, also a driving theme of the season.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Graceless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/graceless. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share