felicitous
/fəˈlɪsɪtəs/ (bre, ipa) · /fəˈlɪsɪtəs/ (ame, ipa) · /fi-ˈli-sə-təs/ (ame, mw)
felicitous — adjective
- felicitouspositive
- more felicitouscomparative
- most felicitoussuperlative
1. (of a word, phrase, or choice) so neatly fitted to the moment that it captures t
(of a word, phrase, or choice) so neatly fitted to the moment that it captures the speaker's meaning or mood almost perfectly — for example, a wedding toast whose joke lands exactly right.
Hana's choice of the word 'serene' was felicitous in describing the lake at dawn.
subject + be + felicitous + in + -ing clause
The minister opened the funeral with a felicitous line from an old Welsh poem.
felicitous + noun (line / phrase / remark)
Christopher praised the speech as a felicitous blend of humour and quiet emotion.
The architect made a felicitous decision to leave the old factory's brick walls exposed.
Few of the politician's apologies have been as felicitous as yesterday's speech in parliament.
- apt
more everyday; widely used in plain prose
- well-chosen
neutral register; common in book reviews and editorials
- fitting
broader scope; can describe actions and gestures, not only words
- happy
in the older sense 'happy choice of words'; literary, slightly dated
- infelicitous
direct opposite; same formal register
- inept
stronger; suggests clumsiness rather than mere mismatch
- awkward
everyday register; covers social as well as verbal mismatch
文法句型
felicitous + noun
be felicitous
用法筆記
Subject is usually a word, phrase, remark, choice, or decision — not a person directly. The judgment is about how well something fits its purpose or context, not about the speaker's luck or mood.