Word: gracious

Associations

Gracious means being kind, polite, and showing gratitude. It can also refer to someone who is generous and forgiving in difficult situations.

• An example is "She was gracious in accepting the award." This shows that she accepted it kindly and with appreciation.
• Another example is "He offered gracious hospitality to his guests." This means he welcomed his guests warmly and kindly.
• A third example is "Even in defeat, she was gracious." Here, it shows that she handled losing in a polite and respectful way.

Gracious has a synonym: "courteous." The difference is that courteous focuses more on being polite in behavior, while gracious includes being kind and generous, often in a way that goes beyond just politeness.

Substitution

Other phrases that can be used instead of "gracious" include:

• Kind: This emphasizes a friendly and warm disposition but may not include the forgiveness aspect of gracious.
• Generous: This highlights the willingness to give, but it does not necessarily imply politeness or kindness.
• Polite: This focuses on manners without the deeper warmth that graciousness brings.

Deconstruction

The word gracious comes from the Latin root "gratia," which means "grace" or "favor."

• There is no prefix, but the suffix "-ous" means "full of" or "characterized by." Thus, gracious means "full of grace" or having the quality of grace, which includes kindness and generosity.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a time when someone was gracious to you? How did it make you feel?
• In what situations do you think being gracious is especially important?
• How would you describe a gracious person? What qualities do they have?