gracious

C2+ Topic:Describing People

US /ˈɡreɪʃəs/ UK /ˈɡreɪʃəs/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
courteous, kind, and pleasant in manner

She was a gracious hostess to even her least welcome guests.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · courteous, kind, and... courteous kind cordial benevolent affable amiable genial

Opposites

rudediscourteousungracious churlish

Word family

Forms graciousness

Derived forms graciouslygraciousness

Related forms grace graceful gratis

Etymology

From Old French gracieus, from Latin gratiosus ('enjoying favor, agreeable'), from gratia ('favor, grace'), from gratus ('pleasing').

gratiosus Latin gratia Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives

# gracious

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˈɡreɪʃəs
**IPA (UK):** ˈɡreɪʃəs

## Meanings
1. courteous, kind, and pleasant in manner

## Examples
- She was a gracious hostess to even her least welcome guests.

## Synonyms
- courteous
- kind
- cordial
- benevolent
- affable
- amiable
- genial

## Antonyms
- rude
- discourteous
- ungracious
- churlish

## Derived Forms
- graciously
- graciousness

## Related Forms
- grace
- graceful
- gratis

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: gratiosus
- Root: gratia

## Etymology
From Old French gracieus, from Latin gratiosus ('enjoying favor, agreeable'), from gratia ('favor, grace'), from gratus ('pleasing').

## AI Etymology
Gracious comes from Old French gracieus, from Latin gratiosus ('enjoying favor, agreeable'), from gratia ('favor, grace'), from gratus ('pleasing'). The development is chiefly a borrowing or learned continuation, carrying an older form and meaning into English rather than building the word from a purely native base. In present use, it is used as an adjective meaning "courteous, kind, and pleasant in manner", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as graciously and graciousness and related forms such as grace, graceful, and gratis, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin gratiosus and Latin gratia, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance.

## Topics
- Describing People
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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gracious

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