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What is "infelicity"

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infelicity
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Infelicity

Infelicity \In`fe*lic"i*ty\, n.; pl. Infelicities. [L. infelicitas: cf. F. inf['e]licit['e]. See In- not, and Felicity.]

  1. The state or quality of being infelicitous; unhappiness; misery; wretchedness; misfortune; lack of suitableness or appropriateness.
    --I. Watts.

    Whatever is the ignorance and infelicity of the present state, we were made wise and happy.
    --Glanvill.

  2. That (as an act, word, expression, etc.) which is infelicitous; as, infelicities of speech.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
infelicity

late 14c., from Latin infelicitas "ill luck, misfortune," from infelix (genitive infelicis) "unfruitful, barren; unfortunate, unhappy, causing misfortune, unlucky," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + felix (see felicity).

Wiktionary
infelicity

n. 1 (context uncountable English) The condition of being infelicitous 2 (context countable English) Something that is infelicitous or inappropriate

WordNet
infelicity

n. inappropriate and unpleasing manner or style (especially manner or style of expression) [ant: felicity]

Usage examples of "infelicity".

For he cannot be free from infelicity who worships Felicity as a goddess, and forsakes God, the giver of felicity.

She conjured up some vast KGB library dedicated to the infelicities, injustices, and contradictions of capitalist society.

She was happy to admit that languages had infelicities, but they had so many sources and evolved in response to so many small pressures that it would be astonishing if they were perfectly coherent and internally consistent.

Today correspondence is dictated to a virt assistant—a computer proge—that then creates the document, edits it for spelling and grammar, perhaps flags any infelicities, and returns it for approval before sending it on.

All errors, mistakes, lapses of taste, and infelicities of expression are purely mine.

Sometimes when we were on Air Force One en route to a speech and the President was napping, Feeley would filch his speech text and work furiously to correct some of the more egregious infelicities of phrase and grammar.

The thought of what infelicities and blunders -- even perils -- his ignorance of the situation could have brought about, made his sweat run cold.