adj
gauche
gohsh
adj
1
Socially awkward or clumsy; lacking tact or polish, and prone to embarrassing missteps.
"Bringing up her salary at dinner was a gauche move."
"He felt gauche next to the polished diplomats in the room."
2
In geometry, not lying flat in a single plane; twisted or skewed.
"The engineers modeled the gauche curve of the cable as it wound around the tower."
How to Use Gauche
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishClumsy or tactless in a social setting — the kind of behaviour that makes a room go quiet.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "gaudy" (showy, over-decorated) — gauche is about bad manners or social misjudgment, not appearance.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
a gauche remark
gauche behaviour
considered gauche
Word Forms
more gauche comparative, gaucher comparative, most gauche superlative, gauchest superlative
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Bringing up her salary at dinner was a _____ move.
Etymology
From French gauche ("left, awkward"), ultimately traced back to a Frankish word for trampling or walking clumsily — the same idea that gives us "walk."