gracious

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈgreɪʃəs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈgreɪʃəs/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(grā′shəs)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
gra•cious /ˈgreɪʃəs/USA pronunciation   adj. 
  1. pleasantly kind;
    wishing well to others;
    courteous:a gracious host.
  2. characterized by good taste, comfort, ease, or luxury:gracious suburban living.

interj. 
  1. This word is used to express surprise, relief, dismay, etc.:Gracious! I've lost my purse.
gra•cious•ly, adv. 
gra•cious•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
gra•cious  (grā′shəs),USA pronunciation adj. 
  1. pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous.
  2. characterized by good taste, comfort, ease, or luxury:gracious suburban living; a gracious home.
  3. indulgent or beneficent in a pleasantly condescending way, esp. to inferiors.
  4. merciful or compassionate:our gracious king.
  5. [Obs.]fortunate or happy.

interj. 
  1. (used as an exclamation of surprise, relief, dismay, etc.)
  • Latin grātiōsus amiable, equivalent. to grāti(a) grace + -ōsus -ous
  • Old French
  • 1250–1300; Middle English gracious
gra′cious•ly, adv. 
gra′cious•ness, gra•ci•os•i•ty  (grā′shē os′i tē),USA pronunciation n. 
    1. benign, friendly, favorable, polite. See kind 1. 4. tender, clement, mild, gentle.
    1. churlish. 4. cruel.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
gracious /ˈɡreɪʃəs/ adj
  1. characterized by or showing kindness and courtesy
  2. condescendingly courteous, benevolent, or indulgent
  3. characterized by or suitable for a life of elegance, ease, and indulgence: gracious living, gracious furnishings
  4. merciful or compassionate
 interj
  1. an expression of mild surprise or wonder (often in exclamatory phrases such as good gracious!, gracious me!)
ˈgraciously adv ˈgraciousness n
'gracious' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
beau geste - benignant - benignity - Bhaskar - handsome - propitiate - propitious - Syal - agreeable - amiable - benign - boon - chivalrous - civil - complaisant - cordial - courteous - debonair - fair - give - good - goodness - gracioso - grazioso - john - kind - manner - mild - oblige - polite - quasi-gracious - ungainly - ungracious - sweet

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