inelegant

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪnˈɛlɪɡənt/ UK /ɪnˈɛlɪɡənt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
lacking grace, refinement, or style

His solution worked but was clumsy and inelegant.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lacking grace, refinement,... graceless clumsy crude unrefined awkward gauche

Opposites

elegant graceful refined stylish

Word family

Forms inelegance

Derived forms inelegantlyinelegance

Related forms elegant elegance

Etymology

From Latin inelegans ('not choice, undiscriminating'), from in- ('not') + elegans ('tasteful, refined'), related to eligere ('to select'), from ex- ('out') + legere ('to choose, gather').

inelegans Latin legere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# inelegant

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

## Meanings
1. lacking grace, refinement, or style

## Examples
- His solution worked but was clumsy and inelegant.

## Synonyms
- graceless
- clumsy
- crude
- unrefined
- awkward
- gauche

## Antonyms
- elegant
- graceful
- refined
- stylish

## Derived Forms
- inelegantly
- inelegance

## Related Forms
- elegant
- elegance

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: inelegans
- Root: legere

## Etymology
From Latin inelegans ('not choice, undiscriminating'), from in- ('not') + elegans ('tasteful, refined'), related to eligere ('to select'), from ex- ('out') + legere ('to choose, gather').

## AI Etymology
Inelegant comes from Latin inelegans ('not choice, undiscriminating'), from in- ('not') + elegans ('tasteful, refined'), related to eligere ('to select'), from ex- ('out') + legere ('to choose, gather'). The prefix supplies the first semantic turn, while the base carries the lexical core of the word. As an adjective, it carries the sense "lacking grace, refinement, or style", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Latin inelegans and Latin legere. Derivative forms include inelegantly, inelegance; related words include elegant, elegance.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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