gracious

adjective gra·cious \ ˈgrā-shəs \

Updated on: 16 Nov 2017

Definition of gracious

1 a obsolete : godly

b archaic : pleasing, acceptable

2 a : marked by kindness and courtesy

a gracious host

b : graceful

c : marked by tact and delicacy : urbane

d : characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit, and the tasteful leisure of wealth and good breeding

gracious living

3 : merciful, compassionate —used conventionally of royalty and high nobility

my gracious lord, the Duke of Windsor

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graciously

adverb

—

graciousness

noun

See gracious defined for English-language learners

See gracious defined for kids

Examples of gracious in a Sentence

This is not a surprise given the welcome, gracious atmosphere, the uncommon competence of the kitchen, with its familiar Little Italy Italian menu … and the restaurant's credible wine list. —Mark Bittman, New York Times, 26 June 2002
If there are not too many in the group, you might inquire solicitously about their health. If you are in a particularly gracious mood, you might even give them a brief resume of your physical condition. —Groucho Marx, letter, 15 Nov. 1951, in The Groucho Letters, 1987
Phoebe closed her eyes, seeing her father moving like a shadow among his guests, gracious, smiling, pouring wine and exchanging greetings. —Judith Berry Griffin, Phoebe the Spy, 1977
The reception started in orderly enough fashion—gracious and leisurely. Paula Locker, the President of the Club, met me at the door, and I took my place in line with her, with Fishbait Miller doing the introducing. —Lady Bird Johnson, A White House Diary, 1970
Thank you for your gracious hospitality.
The magazine promotes gracious living.

Recent Examples of gracious from the Web

Torrin's aunt, Rachel Timpe, started a GoFundMe page that has raised over $8,000 already, and the Rainbow Connection, a Michigan nonprofit for kids with cancer, has also been gracious in their efforts to help the family.

— samantha brodsky, Good Housekeeping, "Boy Bullied for Growing Hair Out for Cancer Patients Now Has Stage 4 Lymphoma," 6 Oct. 2017
The gracious staff, glossy pictorial menus, and leftover friendly portions make for a welcome compromise.

— shakirah simley, Longreads, "How Food Can Be a Platform for Activism," 5 Oct. 2017
But the gracious space felt a lot more relaxed than an office and more civilized than the cramped bustle and din of a Starbucks .

— anne kadet, WSJ, "Pay-to-Stay Cafes Hit the Sweet Spot for Patrons," 26 Sep. 2017
The Mass was well-attended and Cupich was gracious with his time, meeting with families afterward at a luncheon and touring the school.

— yadira sanchez olson, Lake County News-Sun, "Cardinal Cupich urges parents to listen to children during Lake Villa school visit," 17 Sep. 2017
Dunbar, who finished fourth in 4:02.21, played gracious, if sacrificial, host, taking a bullet for the field.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Running resurrection: Olympian Ben Blankenship has bounced back big," 14 Sep. 2017
The President, who arrived at University Medical Center of Southern Nevada trauma center on Wednesday, was gracious and deferential.

— maeve reston, CNN, "Trump finds his voice in Vegas after stumbling in Puerto Rico," 5 Oct. 2017
The service is sure and gracious, and the food is delicious.

— carol deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Milwaukee 50, with Milwaukee's Top 30 restaurants, ranked," 15 Sep. 2017
But for the day, be gracious, strike up some small talk, and act happy to see them.

— kelly williams brown, Cosmopolitan, "Sit at the Grown-Ups' Table," 10 Nov. 2013

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gracious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gracious

Middle English, from Anglo-French gracieus, from Latin gratiosus enjoying favor, agreeable, from gratia

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

gracious Synonyms

Synonyms

affable, cordial, genial, hospitable, sociable

Antonyms

inhospitable, ungenial, ungracious, unsociable

Related Words

agreeable, amiable, benign, benignant, congenial, convivial, friendly, kind, kindly, neighborly; accommodating, obliging; considerate, courteous, polite, thoughtful; cosmopolitan, sophisticated, urbane; approachable, attentive, outgoing

Near Antonyms

boorish, churlish; abrupt, blunt, brusque (also brusk), curt, gruff, sharp, snippy; antisocial, disagreeable, discourteous, ill-mannered, impolite, rude, sullen, surly, uncivil, unfriendly, unkind, unmannerly; crabbed, crabby, cross, crusty, grumpy

Synonym Discussion of gracious

gracious, cordial, affable, genial, sociable mean markedly pleasant and easy in social intercourse. gracious implies courtesy and kindly consideration.

- the gracious award winner thanked her colleagues

cordial stresses warmth and heartiness.

- our host was cordial as he greeted us

affable implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to conversation or requests or proposals.

- though wealthy, she was affable to all

genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality.

- a genial companion with a ready quip

sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others.

- sociable people who enjoy entertaining

GRACIOUS Defined for English Language Learners

gracious

adjective

Definition of gracious for English Language Learners

: very polite in a way that shows respect
: having or showing the attractive things (such as charm, good taste, and comfort) that are associated with having a lot of money
—used as an interjection to express mild surprise or for emphasis