inelegance

[in-el-i-guhns]

noun

1. the quality or state of being inelegant; lack of elegance.

2. something that is inelegant or ungraceful.

Word History and Origins

Origin of inelegance¹

First recorded in 1720–30; ineleg(ant) + -ance

Example Sentences

To transmute such willful inelegance into high art would be a miracle indeed.

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“Teach me how to not be afraid,” the clergyman, a composite figure of several acquaintances, asks Rustin, a line emblematic of the film’s occasional inelegance.

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But this time he committed the twin sins of inelegance and indiscretion.

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The sheer sublimity of this sequence — the eerie silence, the stillness and clarity of the image — stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the movie, which is framed with almost defiant inelegance.

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Watching Ron live out this double-consciousness immediately triggered vivid memories of my own management of double consciousness — conducting that tricky dance that leaves no room for inelegance.

Read more on The Guardian

Related Words

• indecency