graceful

The word "graceful" is an adjective that describes beautiful movement or behavior. It’s often used to describe actors, athletes, dancers, and singers. The word "graceful" can also be used to describe the movement of animals:

• Eagles look so graceful when they’re in flight.
• The giraffe is a graceful animal.
• She’s a very graceful gymnast. Her routines are beautiful.
• The actor gave a graceful acceptance speech at the awards ceremony.
• The CEO of the company made a graceful exit from his position.

To use "graceful" as an adverb, add an "ly" ending:

• She dances very gracefully.
• The winner gracefully accepted his medal.
• Michael Jordan moved gracefully on the basketball court.
• The loser of the race gracefully congratulated the winner.

Note: The opposite of "graceful" is "disgraceful." This is a good word to used when a person’s behavior is very bad.

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This page was first published on August 12, 2012. It was updated on June 7, 2015.