inelegant
Americanadjective
adjective
-
lacking in elegance or refinement; unpolished or graceless
-
coarse or crude
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inelegant
First recorded in 1500–10, inelegant is from the Latin word inēlegant- (stem of inēlegāns ). See in- 3, elegant
Explanation
Something that's inelegant isn't polished or cultured, but instead is awkward, rude, or ungraceful. Your loud footsteps clomping down the hall of a palace as you race to meet the Queen are inelegant. Your inelegant tap dance probably won't win first prize in the school talent show, and your brother's inelegant behavior might get him thrown out of an extremely formal party. In both cases, the required amount of grace just isn't present — in your brother's case, it might be his inelegant laughter or his inelegant clothing that cause him trouble. The Latin root, inelegantem, means "without taste" or "without judgment."
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.
The clank of this supposed breakthrough idea is as inelegant as the meandering storytelling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
Shock can be great even when done for shock’s sake, but when it’s clumsily smashed against an otherwise serious story, both elements are weakened by the awkward, inelegant force at which they collide.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2025
Nabulsi, unfortunately, muddles the story with multiple subplots, some inelegant acting and contrived English-language dialogue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
In a single-star review, the Guardian's Benjamin Lee called the film "as dumb and schlocky as the worst of the genre, with lousy network TV effects, uninvolving action and unfunny and inelegant dialogue".
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2024
Then she flies past the rows of gangly bird of paradise, past the pawpaw tree with ripening fruit, and loses a sandal taking the three front steps in an inelegant leap.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
