gracefully
gb/ɡɹˈeɪsfəli/ us/ɡɹˈeɪsfəli/
B2
English
~ 8200
Senses
0 senses
adverb
B2
property
1
in a smooth, elegant way
In a smooth and beautiful way, without sharp or clumsy movement.
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] [verb] gracefully
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "gracefully" with "gratefully." "Gracefully" describes smooth and beautiful movement or behavior, while "gratefully" describes feeling or showing thanks.
Synonyms
elegantly (Focuses on stylish beauty and good taste, not only on movement.)
|
smoothly (Emphasizes even, easy movement, but not always with the idea of beauty.)
Antonyms
clumsily (Suggests movement that is awkward and lacking control or beauty.)
|
awkwardly (Implies stiff, uncomfortable, or poorly coordinated movement or posture.)
Collocations
move gracefully
|walk gracefully
|dance gracefully
|glide gracefully
|curve gracefully
|fall gracefully
Themes
movement
|appearance
|arts
|arts_entertainment
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The ballerina spun gracefully across the stage.
- The cat leaped gracefully onto the windowsill.
- The skater glided gracefully over the ice.
- The old tree’s branches curved gracefully over the river.
- Swans floated gracefully on the still lake.
Learner examples
- The dancer moves gracefully on the floor.
- The bird flies gracefully through the sky.
- She walks gracefully in high heels.
- The boat moves gracefully across the water.
- The line of the road goes gracefully up the hill.
adverb
B2
property
2
politely and calmly in difficulty
In a kind and calm way, without anger or bad feeling, especially when something is not what you want.
Usage pattern:
[someone] [accepts/takes/handles] [something] gracefully
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "gracefully" only describes physical movement. In this sense, it describes attitude and behavior, especially when something negative happens (for example, losing a game or getting criticism).
Synonyms
graciously (Very close in meaning, but often sounds slightly more formal and emphasizes kindness and generosity.)
|
with dignity (Focuses on self-control and self-respect rather than politeness to others.)
Antonyms
resentfully (Shows anger and a feeling of unfairness instead of calm acceptance.)
|
bitterly (Expresses strong hurt or anger rather than polite acceptance.)
Collocations
accept defeat gracefully
|lose gracefully
|take criticism gracefully
|accept failure gracefully
|handle bad news gracefully
|admit a mistake gracefully
Themes
emotions
|social
|conflict
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She accepted the criticism gracefully and promised to improve.
- Although he lost the match, he shook his opponent’s hand gracefully.
- The company did not win the contract, but the CEO responded gracefully.
- He admitted his error gracefully, without making excuses.
- The politician stepped down gracefully after the scandal.
Learner examples
- She loses gracefully and smiles at the winner.
- He takes bad news gracefully and stays calm.
- They accept the decision gracefully, even if they do not like it.
- My boss takes feedback gracefully and says thank you.
- He hears the criticism and answers gracefully, not angrily.
adverb
technical
C1
property
3
in a controlled, non-breaking way
In a careful way that does not break or stop suddenly when there is a problem or change.
Usage pattern:
[system/process] [handles/fails/shuts down] gracefully
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that "gracefully" is used in technical fields like computing. Here it does not mean "beautiful" but "controlled and safe when something goes wrong."
Synonyms
robustly (Emphasizes strength and resistance to failure; "gracefully" emphasizes controlled behavior when failure or change does happen.)
Antonyms
abruptly (Suggests stopping or failing suddenly without control or clear communication.)
|
catastrophically (Describes failure that causes very serious problems, the opposite of controlled and safe behavior.)
Collocations
handle errors gracefully
|fail gracefully
|shut down gracefully
|degrade gracefully
|recover gracefully
|exit gracefully
Themes
technology
|computing
|science
|work
Examples
- The application handles network interruptions gracefully by saving your work automatically.
- If the service fails, it should fail gracefully instead of crashing the whole system.
- The program shuts down gracefully after showing a clear error message.
- Good web servers degrade gracefully when traffic is too high.
- The robot recovers gracefully from minor sensor errors.
Learner examples
- The website fails gracefully and shows a simple error page.
- This app handles small errors gracefully and does not crash.
- The system shuts down gracefully when the battery is low.
- Our program should fail gracefully, not stop suddenly.
- The game closes gracefully and saves your data.
Grammar
Dictionary form
gracefully
IPA
GB/ɡɹˈeɪsfəli/
US/ɡɹˈeɪsfəli/
Syllables & stress
grace - fully (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (grace)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: gracefully
- Plural: gracefullies
Word family
Forms
gracefullies
noun
Related words
gracious
adjective B1
graciously
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
Advanced or less common
gracefulness
noun C1
graciousness
noun
Expressions
accept defeat gracefully
1/æksˈɛpt dɪfˈit ɡɹˈeɪsfəli/
fixed phrase
respond politely to losing
To lose a game, contest, or argument and stay polite and calm, without anger or bad behavior.
Examples
- Even though their team lost, the fans accepted defeat gracefully.
- Teaching children to accept defeat gracefully is an important life lesson.
- He did not accept defeat gracefully and shouted at the referee.
bow out gracefully
1/bˈoʊ ˈaʊt ɡɹˈeɪsfəli/
idiom
leave a role politely and calmly
To leave a job, project, or situation in a polite and respectful way, without drama or anger.
Examples
- After twenty years at the company, she decided to bow out gracefully.
- Rather than fight the decision, he bowed out gracefully from the leadership race.
- They bowed out gracefully, thanking everyone for their support.
lose gracefully
1/lˈuz ɡɹˈeɪsfəli/
fixed phrase
be defeated but act politely
To be defeated in a game or contest and act calm and polite, without complaining or being rude.
Examples
- Good players know how to win and lose gracefully.
- He never learned to lose gracefully and always blamed others.
- The team lost gracefully, congratulating their opponents on a good game.
age gracefully
1/ˈeɪd͡ʒ ɡɹˈeɪsfəli/
fixed phrase
get older but stay attractive
To get older in a natural way, while still looking good and acting calm and confident.
Examples
- She has aged gracefully, still looking vibrant and confident.
- She has chosen to age gracefully, without trying to hide every wrinkle.
- They hope to age gracefully without worrying too much about wrinkles.
- Many people admire actors who age gracefully and do not pretend to be young.
- He is aging gracefully, staying healthy and positive in his seventies.