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Literary notes about malapropos (AI summary)

In literature, malapropos is employed to denote remarks or actions that seem strikingly out of place or ill-timed, often adding a layer of irony or social awkwardness. Writers use the term to signal that a comment, visit, or behavior is unsuited to its context—be it a conversation that stumbles into inappropriate territory [1] or a remark that humorously disrupts a moment's expected propriety [2]. At times, the word characterizes individuals whose very nature is steeped in untimely or incongruous expressions, as when a character boasts a “genius for the malapropos[3] or when a sudden remark becomes emblematic of an atmosphere charged with unintentional discord [4].
  1. She paused, but he would not inquire, and the others, realizing the malapropos subject, could not sufficiently command their embarrassment.
    — from The Story of Duciehurst: A Tale of the Mississippi by Mary Noailles Murfree
  2. "Your attacks do choose the most malapropos times——" "Oh, dear no, George!
    — from Frances Waldeaux: A Novel by Rebecca Harding Davis
  3. Mrs. Lashmar had a genius for the malapropos.
    — from Our Friend the Charlatan by George Gissing
  4. On the other hand, never express dissatisfaction with a response, however absurd or malapropos it may be.
    — from The Measurement of IntelligenceAn Explanation of and a Complete Guide for the Use of theStanford Revision and Extension of the Binet-SimonIntelligence Scale by Lewis M. (Lewis Madison) Terman

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