Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Slightly at odds with established standards of propriety; somewhat improper, offensive, or coarse: synonym: unseemly.
- adjective Lacking in consideration for the feelings of others; tactless.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Not delicate; wanting delicacy; offensive to a refined sense of propriety, or to modesty or purity of mind; beyond the bounds of proper reserve or restraint.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Not delicate; wanting delicacy; offensive to good manners, or to purity of mind; coarse; rude.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
Improper orimmodest . - adjective
Coarse ortasteless . - adjective
Tactless orundiplomatic .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective verging on the indecent
- adjective lacking propriety and good taste in manners and conduct
- adjective in violation of good taste even verging on the indecent
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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If realism prevailed, the phrase "indelicate imbalance" might be a more appropriate one to use.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Tom Engelhardt 2011
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This determination, however, perfectly consistent with his former advice, he calls indelicate, and earnestly persuades his daughters to conceal it, though it may govern their conduct; — as if it were indelicate to have the common appetites of human nature.
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This determination, however, perfectly consistent with his former advice, he calls indelicate, and earnestly persuades his daughters to conceal it, though it may govern their conduct; - as if it were indelicate to have the common appetites of human nature.
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This determination, however, perfectly consistent with his former advice, he calls indelicate, and earnestly persuades his daughters to conceal it, though it may govern their conduct: as if it were indelicate to have the common appetites of human nature. 50
Chap. II 1792
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that said, people from both official SBC groups and those on their own, often do and say things that others might label indelicate, unethical, foolish, and so on...
SBC leaders bear responsibility for Baptists' trouble in Haiti | RELIGION Blog | dallasnews.com 2010
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He was blunt in his bearing, saying things which her father would have called indelicate and heartless, as though they gave him no effort, and placing himself at once almost in a position of ascendency.
The Belton Estate 2004
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He was blunt in his bearing, saying things which her father would have called indelicate and heartless, as though they gave him no effort, and placing himself at once almost in a position of ascendency.
The Belton Estate Anthony Trollope 1848
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The advertising community long ago crossed the "indelicate" threshold.
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The woman doing the wedgie dance can't possibly be any more "indelicate" than, say, the ads we see for diarrhea or hemorrhoid remedies.
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However a decision to bar the media could be "indelicate".
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