INELEGANT Synonyms: 161 Similar and Opposite Words

inelegant

adjective

(ˌ)i-ˈne-li-gənt

Definition of inelegant

as in uncomfortable

lacking social grace and assurance inelegant teens still learning how to act at formal events

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 inelegant This strikes me as an inelegant way to write Tommy off the show, if that’s indeed what’s happening. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026 Hockey was a bruising, inelegant sport played in the frozen tundra of Canada and the upper Midwest when Vachon was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Kings in the winter of 1971. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 But its blunt, inelegant dialogue is peppered with characters (metaphorically) vomiting up their darkest secrets. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026 The traffic, bachelorette party buses and more inelegant tourists are far out of sight and view from up here. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inelegant

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inelegant

Adjective

Unlike those folks from the other side of the country who fill cold-weather stadiums for bad teams during snowstorms and brag about it, the local sports fans stay away from struggling teams in uncomfortable situations and shrug about it.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
This is uncomfortable to implement, because someone in legal, compliance or operations has to sign their name to a permanent record of judgment calls the business used to make quietly and never revisit.

— Krupesh Bhat, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of uncomfortable

Adjective

Justice Department attorneys have argued that a restraining order would be inappropriate and that the legal challenge was premature, as federal agencies had yet to issue public guidance on how the president's directive would be implemented.

— Kristina Cooke, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
The morality police, which are often accused of extreme policies, recently announced a statewide ban in Sokoto on the use of DJs at events, as well as inappropriate haircuts, extravagant bridal gifts and playing music on public transport.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of inappropriate

Adjective

Lug a bulky, awkward, bear-proof canister to store your food so you don’t get mauled.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
That puts the conference’s universities in an awkward—and potentially paradoxical—position of promoting a product that researchers within their academic departments have raised concerns about.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of awkward

Adjective

Guy acknowledges, though, that this could lead to the level of chaos depicted in a memorable 2009 episode of The Office, where staff show up in an array of unsuitable outfits.

— Chloe Veltman, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
That could allow geothermal projects to operate in locations that have traditionally been considered unsuitable for geothermal development.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsuitable

Adjective

As the video popped up on social media and the Spanish-language Facebook group Danbury Al Dia, Hernandez grew uneasy.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
In addition to Cima and her father, the film centers on Hig and Bangley (Josh Brolin), two very different men whose uneasy partnership is shaped by the harsh realities of their new world.

— Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of uneasy

Adjective

The very characteristics that made blue-collar businesses unfashionable, their physicality and labor intensity, are now their defensive moat.

— Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
As one Ithacan subject fondly recalls, Odysseus always had an unfashionable belief in playing fair.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

Definition of unfashionable

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“Inelegant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inelegant. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of inelegant

adjective

Example Sentences

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