gracious

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English gracious, from Old French gracieus, from Latin gratiosus, from gratia (“esteem, favor”). See grace. Displaced native Old English hold (“gracious”). Doublet of gracioso and grazioso.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡɹeɪʃəs/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪʃəs

Adjective

gracious (comparative more gracious, superlative most gracious)

  1. kind and warmly courteous
  2. tactful
  3. compassionate
  4. indulgent, charming and graceful
  5. elegant and with good taste
  6. benignant
  7. full of grace
  8. magnanimous, without arrogance or complaint, benevolently declining to raise controversy or insist on possible prerogatives.
    The actress's gracious acceptance of being named only in the end credits allowed her character's appearance in the episode to remain a surprise.

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

See also

Interjection

gracious

  1. Expression of surprise, contempt, outrage, disgust, boredom, or frustration.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French gracious, from Latin grātiōsus. Equivalent to grace +‎ -ous.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡraːsiˈuːs/, /ɡraːˈsjuːs/, /ˈɡraːsius/, /ˈɡraːsjus/, /ˈɡraːsjəs/

Adjective

gracious (plural and weak singular graciouse, comparative graciouser, superlative graciousest)

  1. kind, gracious, polite
  2. forgiving, relenting (used mainly positively)
  3. godly, Christian, involving the graciousness of God
    • a. 1450, The Creation and the Fall of Lucifer in The York Plays, as recorded c. 1463–1477 in British Museum MS. Additional 35290:
      I am gracyus and grete, god withoutyn begynnyng, / I am maker vnmade, all mighte es in me, / I am lyfe and way vnto welth-wynnyng, / I am formaste and fyrste, als I byd sall it be.
      I am gracious and great, God without beginning, / I am the unmade maker—all might is in me, / I am life and the way to the attainment of salvation, / I am foremost and first—as I command, it shall be.
  4. lucky, glad; bestowed with good fortune
  5. enjoyable, nice, pleasing
  6. good-looking; pleasing to the eye
  7. obedient, respectworthy
  8. (rare) useful, beneficious

Derived terms

Descendants

References

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