gracefully

American

[greys-fuh-lee] / ˈgreɪs fə li /

adverb

in a way characterized by elegance or beauty of form, manner, movement, or speech.

She is as strong and fit as one of those gracefully sleek and beautiful racehorses you see galloping toward the finish line.
It's wise to coach children on how to gracefully handle being presented with an unwanted gift.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

nongracefully

adverb

Etymology

Origin of gracefully

graceful ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Because M88 is viewed at an angle from Earth, the galaxy appears stretched out, with its spiral structure gracefully spreading across space.

From Science Daily • Jun. 1, 2026

Live pictures showed the capsule push gracefully away, homeward bound.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Yet on balance, the New Museum has achieved something astonishing: It has gracefully and imaginatively added to its original building without compromising its exquisite sculptural quality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

In “Vaccine Flag,” a vertical banner arcs gracefully across a soft gradient of L.A. haze, but the banner’s fabric is so tattered and decayed that its advertisement for vaccines is barely legible.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

It spins gracefully right in front of me.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023