Definition

Not suitable or appropriate; often used to describe something that is poorly chosen or unfortunate.

Example

His infelicitous comment during the meeting made everyone uncomfortable.

Conversation

Did you hear his speech at the party last night?

Yeah, it was a bit infelicitous, to be honest.

I thought so too; some of his jokes just didn't land.

Exactly! It made things a little awkward for everyone.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Infelicitous is formed from "in-" (meaning not) and "felicitas" (from Latin, meaning happiness or good fortune) and the suffix "-ous" (meaning full of). The word describes a state of being not full of happiness or being unfortunate.

Memory Tip

Think of 'not' ('in-') being 'full of happiness' ('felicitas') — that's why infelicitous means unfortunate or unhappy.

Visually Confused Words