Meanings
comparative more infelicitous · superlative most infelicitous
- Unhappy or unfortunate.
If leading a "dog's life" be considered a peculiar phase of human misery, the life of a Boys' Dog is still more infelicitous.
1973, Bret Harte, “A Boy's Dog”, in Mrs. Skaggs's Husbands and Other Sketches1 more example
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?), […].
1953 December, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Performance and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 838 - Inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done.
"Now, you've got just grounds for shooting me," he said gaily, and instantly regretted his infelicitous remark.
1909, William MacLeod Raine, “chapter 24”, in Ridgway of Montana - human sciencesOf a sentence or utterance: not semantically and pragmatically coherent.
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivenot appropriate in application; defective
adjectivemarked by or producing unhappiness
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Italic*n̥-
- Latinin-
- Middle Englishin-
- Englishin-
- Englishfelicitous
- Englishinfelicitous
From in- + felicitous.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian злощастен, злополучен
- злощастен (zloštasten)unhappy or unfortunate
- злополучен (zlopolučen)inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- неудачен (neudačen)inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
Catalan infeliç, desgraciat
- infeliçunhappy or unfortunate
- desgraciatunhappy or unfortunate
- maldestreinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- inadequatinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- impropiinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
Danish uheldig, uheldig
- uheldigunhappy or unfortunate
- uheldiginappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
Finnish onneton, epäonninen
- onnetonunhappy or unfortunate
- epäonninenunhappy or unfortunate
- onnetoninappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- surkeainappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
French infortuné, malheureux
- infortunéunhappy or unfortunate
- malheureuxinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- maladroitinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- inadéquatinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- gaucheinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
German ungeschickt, unglücklich
- ungeschicktunhappy or unfortunate
- unglücklichunhappy or unfortunate
- unglücklichinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- ungeschicktinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
Norwegian ulykkelig, uheldig
- ulykkeligunhappy or unfortunate
- uheldigunhappy or unfortunate
- uheldiginappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
Polish nieszczęsny, niefortunny
- nieszczęsnyunhappy or unfortunate
- niefortunnyunhappy or unfortunate
- nieudanyunhappy or unfortunate
Russian несчастли́вый, несча́стный
- несчастли́вый (nesčastlívyj)unhappy or unfortunate
- несча́стный (nesčástnyj)unhappy or unfortunate
- неуме́стный (neuméstnyj)inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- неподходя́щий (nepodxodjáščij)inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- неуда́чный (neudáčnyj)inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
Spanish infortunado, desventurado
- infortunadounhappy or unfortunate
- desventuradounhappy or unfortunate
- desgraciadounhappy or unfortunate
- infelizunhappy or unfortunate
- desdichadounhappy or unfortunate
- torpeinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- impropioinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- aciagoinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
- inadecuadoinappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
Cite this entry
infelicitous. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infelicitous
“infelicitous.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infelicitous. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “infelicitous,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infelicitous.
Source: infelicitous on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.