infelicitous
/ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.17 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Unhappy or unfortunate.
adj
Inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done.
adj
Of a sentence or utterance: not semantically and pragmatically coherent.
Example Sentences
- "My last run this month is an amazing performance of an "A2/3" Pacific, No. 60524, Herringbone (could there possibly be a more infelicitous name for a locomotive than this, let alone for the unhappy horse which first had to bear it?), […]."
- "If leading a "dog's life" be considered a peculiar phase of human misery, the life of a Boys' Dog is still more infelicitous."
- ""Now, you've got just grounds for shooting me," he said gaily, and instantly regretted his infelicitous remark."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English felicitous English infelicitous From in- + felicitous.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/
- British English: /ˌɪn.fəˈlɪs.ɪ.təs/
Inflected Forms
more infelicitous (comparative)
most infelicitous (superlative)