infelicity

[ in-fuh-lis-i-tee ]
See synonyms for infelicity on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural in·fe·lic·i·ties for 3, 5.
  1. the quality or state of being unhappy; unhappiness.

  2. misfortune; bad luck.

  1. an unfortunate circumstance; misfortune.

  2. inaptness, inappropriateness, or awkwardness, as of action or expression.

  3. something inapt or infelicitous: infelicities of style.

Origin of infelicity

1
1350–1400; Middle English infelicite<Latin infēlīcitās.See in-3, felicity

Words Nearby infelicity

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

How to use infelicity in a sentence

  • In an instant Christie saw the infelicity of her position, and its dangers.

    Devil's Ford | Bret Harte
  • Keats died young; and ‘yet his infelicity had years too many.’

    Life of John Keats | Sidney Colvin
  • It was at this time that the differences in character began to cause domestic infelicity in the Wagnerian household.

    Woman's Work in Music | Arthur Elson
  • The admiration I profess for her ought to make her excuse these remarks, which have their origin in the infelicity of my age.

  • My old infelicity in making up my mind seems to haunt me, and I dare say I shall live to be a dreadful example.

    My Wife and I | Harriet Beecher Stowe

British Dictionary definitions for infelicity

infelicity

/ (ˌɪnfɪˈlɪsɪtɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. the state or quality of being unhappy or unfortunate

  2. an instance of bad luck or mischance; misfortune

  1. something, esp a remark or expression, that is inapt or inappropriate

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