infelicity

[ in-fuh-lis-i-tee ]

noun

, plural in·fe·lic·i·ties

1. the quality or state of being unhappy; unhappiness.
2. misfortune; bad luck.
3. an unfortunate circumstance; misfortune.
4. inaptness, inappropriateness, or awkwardness, as of action or expression.
5. something inapt or infelicitous:

   infelicities of style.

infelicity

/ ˌɪnfɪˈlɪsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being unhappy or unfortunate
2. an instance of bad luck or mischance; misfortune
3. something, esp a remark or expression, that is inapt or inappropriate

Word History and Origins

Origin of infelicity¹

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

Example Sentences

The characters, with their insistence on self-determination, feel too modern, and there are a few infelicities, like the idea that “The Communist Manifesto,” first translated into English toward the end of 1850, would circulate onboard.

From New York Times

Then there’s the error-prone syntax — infelicities in editing and writing that add up quickly.

From Los Angeles Times

For a more complete and very funny deconstruction of its infelicity, read Jonathan Last’s riff in The Bulwark.

From New York Times

And I doubt they spent any time correcting whatever infelicities of my pen they found among my scribbled pages.

From The Guardian

Everything about me is out of proportion — including my peanut-sized head — so I face the choice of billowing, dowdy garments or tighter clothes that sometimes cruelly expose my physical infelicities.

From Salon

Related Words

• agony
• anguish
• bereavement
• despair
• discomfort
• gloom
• heartache
• heartbreak
• melancholy
• misery
• mourning
• pain
• regret
• remorse
• sadness
• sorrow
• trouble
• unhappiness
• woe
• worry