infelicitous

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English

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Etymology

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From in- +‎ felicitous.

Pronunciation

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  • (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

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infelicitous (comparative more infelicitous, superlative most infelicitous)

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. (linguistics) Of a sentence or utterance: not semantically and pragmatically coherent.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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