infelicity

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an awkward, inappropriate, or ill-chosen expression, action, or detail

   The editor corrected several infelicities in the otherwise elegant translation.

2. 2
   noun

   an unfortunate, unsuitable, or unsuccessful condition or circumstance

   The strategist warned that the infelicity of relying on mercenaries would soon become clear.

From Latin infelicitas ('unhappiness, misfortune'), formed from negative in- + felicitas ('happiness, good fortune'), and later understood in English as in- + felicity. The stylistic sense concerns language that is not happily or aptly chosen.

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