indelicate

[in-del-i-kit]

adjective

1. offensive to a sense of generally accepted propriety, modesty, or decency; improper, unrefined, or coarse.

   indelicate language.

   Synonyms: rude, gauche, untactful, indecorous

2. not delicate; lacking delicacy; rough.

indelicate

/ ɪnˈdɛlɪkɪt /

adjective

1. coarse, crude, or rough

2. offensive, embarrassing, or tasteless

Other Word Forms

• indelicately adverb
• indelicacy noun
• indelicateness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of indelicate¹

First recorded in 1735–45; in- ³ + delicate

Example Sentences

It’s tantalizingly oddball and indelicate: a combined daymare and night odyssey that scratches until a feral hidden strength is revealed in the misfit main character, captivatingly played by Indian star Radhika Apte.

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Fisher, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes to be $3 billion, is the quintessential member of the Lucky Sperm Club, not to be indelicate.

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From its playfully inventive opening to its flash-forward finale, Thomas Hardiman’s wild — and wildly impressive — first feature, set during a British regional hairdressing competition, is a proudly indelicate, painstakingly structured pleasure.

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It’s not the first time a Bank of England official has been criticized for indelicate suggestions on how to hold down inflation.

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Forgive his indelicate language; do not forgive those who resent the fact that the Masterman School once was a rake.

Read more on Washington Post