Gauche

Gauche

ɡōSH

Adjective

  • Lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward.

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Example Sentences

“It felt gauche to check my phone during the wedding ceremony, but I was expecting an important message.”

“The company’s gauche product placement in a memorial post received immediate backlash.”

“She decided it was gauche to ask about the cost of her friend’s engagement ring.”

Word Origin

French, mid-18th century

Why this word?

“Gauche” is a French loanword that translates literally as “left.” In English, it’s an adjective that describes someone unsophisticated or even a bit rude. For example, someone who shows up to a party with muddy boots and tracks them all over white carpets before getting in a fight in the backyard would be described as “gauche” — and certainly removed from future guest lists. The term likely came from an old-fashioned bias against left-handedness and the perception that it was awkward. Until as recently as the late 20th century, left-handed children were taught how to write with their right hands in many American schools. Today, it would be gauche to resurrect that bias. 

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