These words refer to a graceless mode of social behaviour. Gauche refers to someone or his actions when they do not conform to the standards of the social group in which he finds himself; he may, consequently, be considered unsophisticated, vulgar or ill-bred by the group: certain American mannerisms that would be thought gauche in England. The term may be used as a subjective evaluation of quite innocent or harmless but intentional behaviour. In the case of maladroit , the questionable behaviour is inadvertent but results in injured feelings or resentment because it is ill-timed or in offensive taste: wanting to bite his own tongue for having made such a maladroit remark. Also, gauche might more commonly describe the whole picture someone presents socially, whereas maladroit more often refers to some particular ship or breach of taste.

Tactless is closer to maladroit than to gauche , but it may refer not only to a momentary slip but to an ingrained habit of being thoughtless or inconsiderate of the feelings of others: a tactless reference to her recent divorce; a thoroughly tactless person who never knew when to keep quiet. Unpolished concentrates on gauche behaviour that results specifically from a lack of good breeding or sophistication; the word, furthermore, is not necessarily negative in its evaluation: a man whose shoes and manners were both noticeable unpolished ; an unpolished simplicity of speech that was refreshing after the affectations of his city friends. Uncouth stresses a total lack of social experience and sophistication, but with no mitigating possibilities for a positive evaluation. It also implies harsh, offensive, or rude behaviour: The uncouth manners of the waiter distressed her. Uncouth has an old-fashioned ring to it nowadays, and is often used with an undertone of irony at the expense of the excessively sensitive or snobbish: She regarded all men as vaguely uncouth . Boorish is the harshest of all these words in its disapproval. The word makes no attempt to explain away disgusting or vile behaviour in terms of inexperience; it simply condemns. The word suggests manners that are fawning, sycophantic, surly or indelicate: a boorish lout who accosted her and insisted upon seeing her home.