infelicity

noun

in·​fe·​lic·​i·​ty ˌin-fi-ˈli-sə-tē How to pronounce infelicity (audio)
plural infelicities
Synonyms of infelicitynext
1
: the quality or state of being infelicitous
2
: something (such as a word or phrase) that is infelicitous
minor infelicities

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of infelicity in a Sentence

the infelicity of holiday decorations at a funeral home
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And that’s setting aside odd turns, factual infelicities and jokes that don’t land. — Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 9 May 2023 There is the occasional infelicity in the book. — William Fotheringham, WSJ, 16 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

Middle English infelicite unhappiness, from Latin infelicitas, from infelic-, infelix unhappy, from in- + felic-, felix fruitful — more at feminine

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of infelicity was in 1617

Rhymes for infelicity

See All Rhymes for infelicity

Browse Nearby Words

infelicitous
infelicity
infelt
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Infelicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infelicity. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

infelicity

noun
in·​fe·​lic·​i·​ty ˌin-fi-ˈlis-ət-ē How to pronounce infelicity (audio)
plural infelicities
1
: a lack of suitability
2
: an inappropriate act or expression
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All