inordinate
[in-awr-dn-it]
- not within proper or reasonable limits; immoderate; excessive: He drank an inordinate amount of wine.
- unrestrained in conduct, feelings, etc.: an inordinate admirer of beauty.
- disorderly; uncontrolled.
- not regulated; irregular: inordinate hours.
Origin of inordinate
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com1. extreme, exorbitant, outrageous, unreasonable, disproportionate.
Antonyms
1. reasonable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for inordinate
Contemporary Examples
Jimmy Carter scolded Americans for their “inordinate fear of communism.”
Owl monkey offspring get an inordinate amount of care from their fathers.
Then you will spend an inordinate amount of time figuring out how to cover your head up.
Facebook exerts an inordinate amount of control over your life.
Then I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to decide whether or not I will shave.
Historical Examples
He seemed to have no inordinate desire for admiration or even for approbation.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
It is an inordinate paragraph, outraging all known rules of composition!
De Libris: Prose and VerseAustin Dobson
Sarah was not only under the influence of distrust, but of inordinate desire.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. IFrancis Augustus Cox
His inordinate vanity could readily supply the reasons for such a course.
Tony ButlerCharles James Lever
You have yet to learn that it has also an inordinate capacity for swallowing light.
Wood-CarvingGeorge Jack
inordinate
- exceeding normal limits; immoderate
- unrestrained, as in behaviour or emotion; intemperate
- irregular or disordered
Word Origin
C14: from Latin inordinātus disordered, from in- 1 + ordināre to put in order
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for inordinate
adj.
late 14c., "not ordered, lacking order or regularity," from Latin inordinatus "unordered, not arranged," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + ordinatus, past participle of ordinare "to set in order" (see order). Sense of "immoderate, excessive" is from notion of "not kept within orderly limits." Related: Inordinately; inordinateness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper