different between ungainly vs unbecoming
ungainly
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /?n??e?nli/
- Hyphenation: un?gain?ly
Etymology 1
un- (“prefix meaning ‘not’”) +? gainly (“graceful; becoming; proper, suitable; gracious, kindly”) (from gain (“dexterous; convenient, easy, handy; suitable”), from Old Norse gegn (“fit, serviceable; direct, straight; honest; kindly”) + -ly (“suffix forming adjectives from nouns”)). Compare dialectal Norwegian Nynorsk ugjegnleg (“stubborn; troublesome”).
Adjective
ungainly (comparative ungainlier or more ungainly, superlative ungainliest or most ungainly)
- Clumsy; lacking grace.
- 1962, Edward [Ronald] Weismiller, chapter XI, in The Serpent Sleeping, New York, N.Y.: Putnam, ?OCLC; republished London; Portland, Or.: Frank Cass Publishers, 1998, ?ISBN, page 169:
- His body, though thin, looked oversized and ungainly, his limbs poorly knit together; he appeared to conquer his tendency to awkwardness by making only the smallest, most deliberate of movements.
- 1962, Edward [Ronald] Weismiller, chapter XI, in The Serpent Sleeping, New York, N.Y.: Putnam, ?OCLC; republished London; Portland, Or.: Frank Cass Publishers, 1998, ?ISBN, page 169:
- Difficult to move or to manage; unwieldy.
- (obsolete) Unsuitable; unprofitable.
Alternative forms
- ungainlie (obsolete)
Derived terms
- ungainliness
Translations
Noun
ungainly (plural ungainlies)
- (rare) An ungainly person or thing.
Etymology 2
ungain (from un- + gain (“dexterous; convenient, easy, handy; suitable”)) +? -ly.
Adverb
ungainly (comparative ungainlier or more ungainly, superlative ungainliest or most ungainly)
- (obsolete) In an ungainly or unbecoming manner; improperly; undeservedly, unduly; unsuitably.
Anagrams
- guanylin, unlaying
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unbecoming
English
Etymology
From un- +? becoming. Compare Middle English unbicomelich (“unbecoming”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /??nb??k?m??/
Adjective
unbecoming (comparative more unbecoming, superlative most unbecoming)
- Not flattering, attractive or appropriate.
- She wore a rather unbecoming hairstyle.
- Not in keeping with the expected standards of one's position.
- He was accused of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
Synonyms
- unsuitable
- unfit
- indecent
- indecorous
- improper
Antonyms
- becoming
- befitting
- suiting
Related terms
- unbecomingly
- unbecomingness
Translations
Verb
unbecoming
- present participle of unbecome
Noun
unbecoming (plural unbecomings)
- The process by which something unbecomes.
Further reading
- unbecoming in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- unbecoming in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- unbecoming at OneLook Dictionary Search
unbecoming From the web:
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