1
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
inelegant teens still learning how to act at formal events
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inappropriate
marked by an obvious lack of style or good taste
inelegant furniture that looked like it belonged in a budget motel
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inelegant
Their ingenious creation — an unlikely combination of spacesuit parts, duct tape, and the suddenly obsolete mission plan — encapsulates the film in an inelegant nutshell.
—
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 30 June 2025
And, here’s the kicker, and the most annoying part: They are served in cardboard boxes, which makes eating them at a table inelegant at best.
—Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 9 May 2025
But the controversy over Newsom’s inelegant statement goes to the heart of the Democratic divide right now.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
The obvious fix is a little bit of duct tape, an inelegant but quick repair with a resource that most households already have on hand.
—PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inelegant
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 30 June 2025
And, here’s the kicker, and the most annoying part: They are served in cardboard boxes, which makes eating them at a table inelegant at best.
—Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 9 May 2025
But the controversy over Newsom’s inelegant statement goes to the heart of the Democratic divide right now.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
The obvious fix is a little bit of duct tape, an inelegant but quick repair with a resource that most households already have on hand.
—PC Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inelegant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inelegant
Adjective
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Fear of uncomfortable conversations creates cultures of dishonesty, making innovation impossible.—
Curt Steinhorst,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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More than half reported feeling uncomfortable about their own or someone else's smelly shoes, and 90 percent kept their shoes in a shoe rack.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Charile Kirk championed peoples' right to speech others may find inappropriate.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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Corpus is also accused of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with her former chief of staff Victor Aenlle, who was fired by the board of supervisors last year.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In the afterglow of the finale, outlets hit publish on SEO-bait around who did what, and clumsy think pieces like this one followed.—
Thomas Page,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
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His paranoia, played with clumsy charm by a mustachioed and bleary-eyed Leonardo DiCaprio, is half-cocked and somewhat comical.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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How does peer review work, and what is its purpose if not to prevent incorrect claims from getting published to the greater world?—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
19 Sep. 2025
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In others, its claims were factually incorrect because of inconsistent timelines and mischaracterizations of his work history.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While there is little doubt about the outcome of the Fed meeting, there are still questions over who exactly will be voting—setting up some very awkward dynamics.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
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This leaves the broader discourse around Kirk’s assassination in an awkward position, deprived of the certainty that so many crave.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The concern expressed is that people are turning to AI for mental health advice and do not realize that (presumably) AI is unsuitable for that purpose.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The drastic drop in performance from the 2022 season points to the idea that the current generation of cars is unsuitable for the Briton.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Earlier this year, Stewart admitted the thought left him uneasy.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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This stirs an uneasy thought in the astrobiologist’s mind.—
Dirk Schulze-Makuch,
Big Think,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While some of France’s important estates have sold out, diversified internationally, or even pursued potentially short-sighted revenue streams, Guigal has continued along its own path, quietly expanding their reach through a series of deliberate but seemingly unfashionable local acquisitions.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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Superman wraps these deeply unfashionable themes and aspirations in the pomp, spectacle, and humor that are Gunn’s superhero trademark (see: the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, easily among the best of Marvel Comics’ cinematic offerings).—
Derek Robertson,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inelegant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inelegant. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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