gracious

[ grey-shuhs ]
See synonyms for: graciousgraciouslygraciousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous.

  2. characterized by good taste, comfort, ease, or luxury: gracious suburban living;a gracious home.

  1. indulgent or beneficent in a pleasantly condescending way, especially to inferiors.

  2. merciful or compassionate: our gracious king.

  3. Obsolete. fortunate or happy.

interjection
  1. Also good gracious . (used as an exclamation of surprise, relief, dismay, etc.)

Origin of gracious

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English gracious, from Old French, from Latin grātiōsus “amiable,” equivalent to grāti(a) “favor, kindness, esteem” + -ōsus adjective suffix; see grace, -ous

synonym study For gracious

1. See kind1.

Other words for gracious

Opposites for gracious

Other words from gracious

  • gra·cious·ly, adverb
  • gra·ci·os·i·ty [grey-shee-os-i-tee], /ˌgreɪ ʃiˈɒs ɪ ti/, noun
  • gra·cious·ness, noun
  • non·gra·ci·os·i·ty, noun
  • non·gra·cious, adjective
  • o·ver·gra·cious, adjective
  • qua·si-gra·cious, adjective

Words that may be confused with gracious

Words Nearby gracious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gracious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gracious

gracious

/ (ˈɡreɪʃəs) /


adjective
  1. characterized by or showing kindness and courtesy

  2. condescendingly courteous, benevolent, or indulgent

  1. characterized by or suitable for a life of elegance, ease, and indulgence: gracious living; gracious furnishings

  2. merciful or compassionate

  3. obsolete fortunate, prosperous, or happy

interjection
  1. an expression of mild surprise or wonder (often in exclamatory phrases such as good gracious!, gracious me!)

Derived forms of gracious

  • graciously, adverb
  • graciousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with gracious

gracious

see goodness gracious.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.