Meaning 1
Especially well chosen, suitable, or pleasing.
Reach for it when praising wording, timing, or a choice whose fit is unusually good
Her felicitous phrase captured the spirit of the celebration.
Meaning 2
Pleasing or fortunate in effect.
Reach for it when describing a happy result created by circumstances or combination
A felicitous blend of shade and breeze made the courtyard inviting.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| everyday | ||
| warm | ||
| formal | ||
| literary |
|
everyday
Fits when plain praise for a selection is clearer
Careful Well chosen lacks the elegance suggested by felicitous.
warm
Fits when ease and elegance are what impressed you
Careful Graceful can describe movement without being especially suitable.
formal
Fits when a remark is precisely relevant
Careful Apposite concerns relevance more than beauty or timing.
formal
Fits when exact suitability is the whole point
Careful Apt is cooler and does not convey grace or pleasure.
everyday
Fits when good chance explains the pleasing outcome
Careful Fortunate emphasizes luck rather than skillful fit.
formal
Fits when the circumstance promises a favorable beginning
Careful Auspicious points forward and may invoke omen.
formal
Fits when parts combine pleasingly without conflict
Careful Harmonious credits the fit, whereas felicitous may also credit good fortune.
literary
Fits when a choice or coincidence proved especially successful
Careful This sense of happy can be mistaken for emotion.
felicitous phrase
The translator found a felicitous phrase for the gentle joke.
felicitous choice
Blue stone was a felicitous choice for the shaded courtyard.
felicitous combination
The dish relies on a felicitous combination of citrus and herbs.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated
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