ungracious

adjective

un·​gra·​cious ˌən-ˈgrā-shəs How to pronounce ungracious (audio)
1
archaic : wicked
2
: not courteous : rude
ungracious treatment
3
: not pleasing : disagreeable
an ungracious task
ungraciously adverb
ungraciousness noun

Examples of ungracious in a Sentence

There's no need to be ungracious about it. we were taken aback by our aunt's ungracious reply to the invitation we had sent her
Recent Examples on the Web To have remained stone silent was ungracious. Abigail Van Buren, oregonlive, 31 May 2022 But instead of asking, Ed makes a unilateral decision, conveyed by his wife, and we are forced to comply or seem ungracious and risk offending them. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2023 Such compliments are common, perhaps because the giver does not realize how ungracious comparisons are. Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2022 Schoenberg’s Suite, Op. 25, an example of his early supposedly ungracious 12-tone style, is just the thing to keep traditional audiences away. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2022 Asking for gas money for a party that your daughter was attending seems to Miss Manners a bit miserly and ungracious. Washington Post, 28 June 2021 To bring up other human needs, of emotional or intellectual fulfilment beyond a roof to sleep under, is to be ungracious in the eyes of the media and the privileged public. Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2021 None of this erases the everyday problem of unheld doors, forgotten thank yous, and ungracious birthday party guests. BostonGlobe.com, 23 Oct. 2019 But there remains a somewhat ungracious tenor to this administration that could be excised, sloughed like something outgrown, with no loss of counter-fire. Conrad Black, National Review, 11 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ungracious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ungracious was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near ungracious

Cite this Entry

“Ungracious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ungracious. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ungracious

adjective
un·​gra·​cious ˌən-ˈgrā-shəs How to pronounce ungracious (audio)
1
: not courteous : rude
ungracious treatment
2
: not pleasing : disagreeable
an ungracious task
ungraciously adverb
ungraciousness noun
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