gracious
Americanadjective
-
pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous.
- Antonyms:
- churlish
-
characterized by good taste, comfort, ease, or luxury: a gracious home.
gracious suburban living;
a gracious home.
-
indulgent or beneficent in a pleasantly condescending way, especially to inferiors.
-
merciful or compassionate.
our gracious king.
- Antonyms:
- cruel
-
Obsolete. fortunate or happy.
interjection
adjective
-
characterized by or showing kindness and courtesy
-
condescendingly courteous, benevolent, or indulgent
-
characterized by or suitable for a life of elegance, ease, and indulgence
gracious living
gracious furnishings
-
merciful or compassionate
-
obsolete fortunate, prosperous, or happy
interjection
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Related Words
See kind 1.
Other Word Forms
- graciosity noun
- graciously adverb
- graciousness noun
- nongraciosity noun
- nongracious adjective
- overgracious adjective
- quasi-gracious adjective
Etymology
Origin of gracious
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English gracious, from Old French, from Latin grātiōsus “amiable,” equivalent to grāti(a) “favor, kindness, esteem” + -ōsus adjective suffix; grace, -ous
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.
You were a gracious host and friend to someone who, unfortunately, felt entitled to your time and money.
From MarketWatch
The tool is gracious enough to remind you that not all providers are in-network with all Medicare Advantage plans.
From MarketWatch
“She was a great teammate to her fellow actors. She was funny, clever, gracious,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times
After Iñárritu introduced him, Cruise delivered a gracious, cinema-booster speech, at one point asking everyone in the room who had worked with him to stand.
From Los Angeles Times
He is a gracious star, comfortable in the spotlight.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
