Inconcinnus

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by a lack of harmony or elegance in arrangement or structure
2. describing something that is awkward or clumsy in style or form
3. indicating a discordance in the elements that would typically create balance and beauty

Etymology: Latin "concinnus" described things neatly put together, and Roman writers applied it to prose. Cicero prized "concinnitas," the balance of matching phrases in a well-built sentence, and the adjective carried that sense of smooth, deliberate fit. The prefix "in-" simply reverses it, so the Latin meant ill-fitting, clumsy, or out of keeping with what surrounds it. Etymologists are unsure of the root behind "concinnus," though it is usually linked to the verb "concinnare," to put together or arrange. English keeps a related noun, "concinnity," for elegance of arrangement, borrowed from the Latin "concinnitas." The negative adjective itself stayed closer to Latin scholarship than to everyday English.

Synonyms: awkward, inelegant, clumsy, ungraceful, ungainly

Antonyms: elegant, graceful, polished, refined, harmonious