infelicitous
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From in- + felicitous.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (UK) IPA(key): /ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/, /ˌɪn.fɪˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/, /ˌɪn.fɛlˈɪs.ɪ.təs/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/, /ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ə.təs/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Adjective
[edit]infelicitous (comparative more infelicitous, superlative most infelicitous)
- Unhappy or unfortunate.
- 1973, Bret Harte, “A Boy's Dog”, in Mrs. Skaggs's Husbands and Other Sketches:
- If leading a "dog's life" be considered a peculiar phase of human misery, the life of a Boys' Dog is still more infelicitous.
- Inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done.
- 1909, William MacLeod Raine, “chapter 24”, in Ridgway of Montana:
- "Now, you've got just grounds for shooting me," he said gaily, and instantly regretted his infelicitous remark.
- (linguistics) Of a sentence or utterance: not semantically and pragmatically coherent.
Synonyms
[edit]- (unhappy): See Thesaurus:sad or Thesaurus:lamentable
- (unlucky): See Thesaurus:unlucky
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]unhappy or unfortunate
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inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
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