gauche

en
en
Change language
Translating...
Find language
Français
French
Español
Spanish
Deutsch
German
Português
Portuguese
Русский
Russian
/ɡoʊʃ/
Add to My Dictionary
In My Dictionary
+1
Awkward and lacking social grace.
Practice using gauche in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Her gauche smile revealed a lack of confidence during the interview.
  • The sailor shouted, 'Steer gauche to avoid the reef!'
  • Computational chemistry predicts a slight energy penalty for the gauche geometry.
  • Turn gauche at the next traffic light to reach the museum.
  • The gauche rotamer is higher in energy than the anti form but still observable at room temperature.

Similar words

twisted
staggered
uncouth
60-degree
left-hand
non-anti
westward
clumsy
left
port

Meanings

Awkward or lacking social grace

adjective
social
neutral
Having no ease or poise in social situations, often appearing clumsy, tactless, or uncouth.

Examples

  • She felt gauche at the dinner party, stumbling over every conversation.
  • His gauche comment about the artwork made everyone uncomfortable.
  • Trying to impress the crowd, he delivered a gauche joke that fell flat.
  • The new employee's gauche manner was quickly smoothed out by a mentor.
  • Even after years of practice, some people still act gauche in large groups.
  • Her gauche smile revealed a lack of confidence during the interview.
  • When the manager praised the team, Tom's gauche response seemed out of place.

Similar words

awkward
clumsy
inelegant
ungainly
tactless
uncouth

Left (direction)

adjective
direction
neutral
Relating to the left side or left-handedness, taken from the French word for left.

Examples

  • Turn gauche at the next traffic light to reach the museum.
  • The map shows the river flowing gauche of the mountain range.
  • When arranging the chairs, place the guest on the gauche side of the table.
  • The sailor shouted, 'Steer gauche to avoid the reef!'
  • In the diagram, the arrow points gauche, indicating the left direction.
  • The left-hand exit is marked gauche on the highway signs.
  • During the dance, she stepped gauche and then twirled.

Similar words

left
port
sinistral
leftward
left-hand
westward

Gauche conformation

adjective
chemistry
technical
Describing a molecular shape where two substituents are about 60° apart, giving a slightly higher energy than the anti form.

Examples

  • In the Newman projection, the molecule adopts a gauche conformation with a 60° dihedral angle.
  • The gauche rotamer is higher in energy than the anti form but still observable at room temperature.
  • When the substituents are small, the gauche conformation can be favored by hyperconjugation.
  • Spectroscopic data revealed a gauche arrangement of the methyl groups.
  • Computational chemistry predicts a slight energy penalty for the gauche geometry.
  • The chemist noted that the gauche conformation leads to a different reactivity pattern.
  • During the reaction, the intermediate briefly adopts a gauche structure before rotating to anti.

Similar words

staggered
synclinal
non-anti
60-degree
twisted
gauche rotamer

Etymology

From French gauche, a Middle French derivative of Old French gauchir ‘to turn, veer’, ultimately from a Germanic source related to Old High German wankōn ‘to stagger’.

FAQ

What does gauche mean?

It can describe awkward social behavior, the left side, or a specific molecular shape.

How is gauche used to describe a person’s behavior?

It means the person lacks ease or poise in social situations and may appear clumsy or tactless.

When is gauche used to refer to a direction?

It refers to the left side, the opposite of right, and can also mean port or westward.

What does gauche mean in chemistry?

It describes a molecular conformation where two groups are about 60° apart, a higher energy form compared with the anti conformation.

What are synonyms for gauche in the social sense?

awkward, clumsy, inelegant, ungainly, tactless, uncouth.

What are synonyms for gauche when it means left?

left, port, sinistral, leftward, left-hand, westward.

What are synonyms for gauche in the chemical sense?

staggered, synclinal, non-anti, 60-degree, twisted, gauche rotamer.

What is the origin of gauche?

It comes from French, ultimately from a Germanic source related to Old High German wankōn “to stagger”.

Comments & contributions

Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
Posting as a guest · Sign in
No comments yet. Be the first to add one.
Look up word or phrase...