gracious

[grey-shuhs]

adjective

1. pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous.

   Synonyms: polite, pleasant, kindly, friendly, courteous, benign, benevolent
   Antonyms: churlish

2. characterized by good taste, comfort, ease, or luxury: a gracious home.

   gracious suburban living;

   a gracious home.

3. indulgent or beneficent in a pleasantly condescending way, especially to inferiors.

4. merciful or compassionate.

   our gracious king.

   Synonyms: gentle, mild, merciful, clement, tender, compassionate
   Antonyms: cruel

5. Obsolete.,  fortunate or happy.

interjection

1. Also good gracious (used as an exclamation of surprise, relief, dismay, etc.)

gracious

/ ˈɡreɪʃəs /

adjective

1. characterized by or showing kindness and courtesy

2. condescendingly courteous, benevolent, or indulgent

3. characterized by or suitable for a life of elegance, ease, and indulgence

   gracious living

   gracious furnishings

4. merciful or compassionate

5. obsolete,  fortunate, prosperous, or happy

interjection

1. an expression of mild surprise or wonder (often in exclamatory phrases such as good gracious!, gracious me! )

Other Word Forms

• graciously adverb
• graciosity noun
• graciousness noun
• nongraciosity noun
• nongracious adjective
• overgracious adjective
• quasi-gracious adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gracious¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see goodness gracious.

Synonym Study

See kind ¹.

Example Sentences

“She was a great teammate to her fellow actors. She was funny, clever, gracious,” he said.

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“Alexander Incorrigible, at your service,” Alexander said with a gracious bow.

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“With most gracious wishes for your continued recovery, Lady A.”

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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.

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When I e-mailed Gutfreund to invite him to lunch, he could not have been more polite, or more gracious.

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Related Words

• accommodating 
• affable 
• amiable 
• approachable 
• compassionate 
• congenial 
• considerate 
• cordial 
• courteous 
• courtly 
• friendly 
• genial 
• good-natured 
• hospitable 
• loving 
• polite 
• sociable 
• well-mannered