inelegant

/in'eligənt/

Thân thiện

The dancer's inelegant movements stood out during the rehearsal.

Definition

Adjective: - Lacking in refinement, grace, or good taste: Describes something that is awkward, clumsy, or not stylish in appearance, manner, or design.

Usage

The adjective "inelegant" is used to describe a wide range of things—from physical movements and objects to solutions, language, or behavior—that are perceived as crude, unpolished, or lacking sophistication. It often carries a slightly formal or critical tone.

Examples

• Describing a physical action or solution:
  • His bow was quick and inelegant, but it served its purpose.
  • The software fix was an inelegant but effective workaround for the bug.
• Describing appearance or style:
  • The building's design was criticized as bulky and inelegant.
  • She found the furniture in the waiting room to be purely functional and inelegant.

Advanced Usage

• "Inelegant" in technical or academic contexts: Often used to describe a solution, proof, or method that is functional but unnecessarily complicated, awkward, or lacking in simplicity and beauty.
  • The mathematician dismissed the proof as valid but profoundly inelegant.

Variants and Related Words

• Inelegantly (adverb): In an inelegant manner.
  • He inelegantly shoved the papers into his bag.
• Inelegance (noun): The quality or state of being inelegant.
  • The inelegance of the proposal was its downfall.

Synonyms

• Graceless: Lacking grace, elegance, or charm.
• Clumsy: Awkward in movement or shape; not graceful.
• Uncouth: Lacking good manners, refinement, or grace.
• Crude: Constructed in a rudimentary or makeshift way; not elegant.
• Gauche: Lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward.

Antonyms

• Elegant: Pleasingly graceful and stylish in appearance or manner.
• Graceful: Having or showing grace or elegance.
• Refined: Elegant and cultured in appearance, manner, or taste.
• Polished: Refined, sophisticated, or elegant.

Idioms and Phrases

• An inelegant truth: A fact or reality that is unpleasant, awkward, or difficult to accept, stated bluntly.
  • The inelegant truth is that the project failed due to poor planning.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. lacking in refinement or grace or good taste